Ian Curtis: Mural of music icon unveiled in Macclesfield

A mural paying tribute to music icon Ian Curtis has been unveiled in the town where he grew up.

The painting has been created in Macclesfield by street artist Akse in memory of the frontman of Joy Division.

Akse, whose recent work includes murals of Captain Sir Tom Moore and footballer Marcus Rashford, said he was "honoured" to be asked to create the artwork.

Cheshire East Council, who commissioned the project, said the mural "now has pride of place in the town centre".

The mural, which is based on an original photograph taken by Kevin Cummins in 1979, has been painted on a building on Mill Street.

Bassist and co-founder of Joy Division Peter Hook said on Twitter he had been "waiting for a long time to see a tribute to Ian in his hometown".

Councillor Nick Mannion said the mural had been "somewhat overdue" but he added that it had "truly been worth the wait".

"I am a huge fan of Joy Division - the cultural significance of the band and Ian stretches well beyond my home town of Macclesfield," he said.

"This is such a proud moment, I'm feeling very emotional about it right now."

Akse said: "Although I've been working on murals most of my life, it's still always an incredible feeling to get to the end of the journey - well the end of my journey at least.

"Now it's time for the people of Macclesfield to enjoy the mural, as I know how much Ian meant to so many of them."

Curtis, who was brought up in the town and is buried in Macclesfield Cemetery, was the lead singer of Joy Division until his death in May 1980 at the age of 23.

The three surviving members of the band resolved to carry on and renamed themselves as New Order.

An unofficial unveiling ceremony will be held on Saturday at 13:00.

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