R.I.P. Visage Frontman Steve Strange

BY Alex HudsonPublished Feb 12, 2015

Steve Strange, singer and co-founder of the veteran synth-pop band Visage, has passed away following a heart attack. He was 55.

The vocalist, real name Steven Harrington, was in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he suffered heart failure and died in his sleep this morning (February 12). An announcement on Facebook reads, "Steve's family, band members and friends are all distraught at this sudden news of his untimely death. Steve's family request privacy at this extremely difficult time."

This follows an announcement back in December that Strange had been hospitalized with "a bronchial infection and intestinal blockage following a long illness that has meant he has been virtually bed ridden for the past few weeks."

Visage formed in the late '70s and scored a hit with the 1980 track "Fade to Grey." At the time, Midge Ure (of Ultravox fame) was in the band. They continued to find success for a few years but went into commercial and critical decline before they broke up in 1985.

Strange revived the band post-millennium, and Visage released the albums Hearts and Knives and Orchestral in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The singer was born in Wales and played in some punk bands early in his career. He later acted as a club host at Blitz in London, which became a hotspot for the New Romantic movement.

He also endured some personal problems over the years. He battled heroin addiction and was arrested for shoplifting in 2000. He released the autobiography Blitzed! in 2002.

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