Pamela Rooke — an icon of the 1970s British punk scene who went by the name Jordan — has died at 66.
A statement from Rooke's family reads:
She died peacefully a stone's throw away from the sea in her hometown of Seaford, East Sussex, in the company of her loving family at 9 p.m. last night (Sunday, 3 April) … after a short period of illness, she succumbed to a relatively rare form of cancer known as cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Jordan was a wonderful woman and will be remembered for countless decades to come.
Rooke was a major figure in the early days of British punk, with her wild, sky-scraping hairstyles and singular makeup. She is credited with influencing and disseminating the "punk look" and helping define the movement visually and culturally.
She was associated with bands like the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and went on to manage and play with Adam and the Ants, performing vocals on the John Peel Sessions song "Lou." Rooke has also been described as a muse to filmmaker Derek Jarman, and starred as Amyl Nitrate in his seminal 1978 punk film Jubilee.
Rooke eventually left the punk scene to become a veterinary nurse and cat breeder. She'll be portrayed by Game of Thrones actor Maisie Williams in Danny Boyle's upcoming Sex Pistols drama Pistol, which is arriving in May.
Listen to "Lou" and see some social media tributes to Rooke, a.k.a. Jordan, below.
A statement from Rooke's family reads:
She died peacefully a stone's throw away from the sea in her hometown of Seaford, East Sussex, in the company of her loving family at 9 p.m. last night (Sunday, 3 April) … after a short period of illness, she succumbed to a relatively rare form of cancer known as cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Jordan was a wonderful woman and will be remembered for countless decades to come.
Rooke was a major figure in the early days of British punk, with her wild, sky-scraping hairstyles and singular makeup. She is credited with influencing and disseminating the "punk look" and helping define the movement visually and culturally.
She was associated with bands like the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and went on to manage and play with Adam and the Ants, performing vocals on the John Peel Sessions song "Lou." Rooke has also been described as a muse to filmmaker Derek Jarman, and starred as Amyl Nitrate in his seminal 1978 punk film Jubilee.
Rooke eventually left the punk scene to become a veterinary nurse and cat breeder. She'll be portrayed by Game of Thrones actor Maisie Williams in Danny Boyle's upcoming Sex Pistols drama Pistol, which is arriving in May.
Listen to "Lou" and see some social media tributes to Rooke, a.k.a. Jordan, below.