Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division and recorded two albums with the group: Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980).\n', '

Curtis, who suffered from epilepsy and depression, took his own life on the eve of Joy Division\'s first North American tour and shortly before the release of Closer. His suicide resulted in the band\'s dissolution and the subsequent formation of New Order. Curtis was known for his bass-baritone voice, dance style, and songwriting typically filled with imagery of desolation, emptiness, and alienation.\n', '

Curtis was born on 15 July 1956, at the Memorial Hospital in Stretford, Lancashire, and grew up in a working-class household in Macclesfield, Cheshire. He was the first of two children born to Kevin and Doreen Curtis. From an early age, Curtis was a bookish and intelligent child, displaying a particular flair for poetry. He was awarded a scholarship at the age of 11 at Macclesfield\'s independent King\'s School. Here, he developed his interests in philosophy, literature, and eminent poets such as Thom Gunn. While at King\'s School, he was awarded several scholastic awards in recognition of his abilities; particularly at the ages of 15 and 16. The year after Ian had graduated from King\'s School, the Curtis family purchased a house from a relative, and moved to New Moston.\n', '

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