Steve Strange, the frontman of 80s synthpop band Visage, has passed away. A statement on Visage’s Facebook page said: "We are extremely saddened to announce that Steve Strange died at 11.15 local time on Thursday 12th February, in Sharm El Sheik International Hospital, Egypt. Steve died in his sleep, of Heart Failure. 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."
Strange, born Steven Harrington in Newbridge, Wales in 1959, moved to London to work for Malcolm McLaren before managing the nightclubs Billy’s and the Blitz, with the latter a focal point in the New Romantic scene. He formed Visage in 1978 with the original members including Rusty Egan, Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Barry Adamson, John McGeoch and Dave Formula. Over the course of changing line-ups, the band put out three albums – 1980’s self-titled debut, which included their landmark hit ‘Fade To Grey’, The Anvil in 1982 and Beat Boy in 1984 – before disbanding in 1985. He reformed Visage in the 2000s, with their latest iteration, including Steve Barnacle, who originally joined the band in 1982, former Ultravox and Magazine man Robin Simon and Lauren Duvall, releasing the band’s fourth album, Hearts And Knives, in 2013. Last year, the band put out their fifth album Orchestral, which found them arranging songs from their back catalogue and new material for a symphony orchestra.
