Stephen Maynard Clark (23 April 1960 – 8 January 1991) was an English musician. He was the principal songwriter and lead guitarist for the British hard rock band, Def Leppard, until 1991, when he died from alcohol poisoning. In 2007, Clark was ranked No. 11 on Classic Rock Magazine\'s "100 Wildest Guitar Heroes".\n', '

Stephen Maynard Clark was born and raised in Hillsborough, South Yorkshire, a suburb of Sheffield, England. From an early age, he showed an interest in music, attending his first concert featuring Cliff Richard and the Shadows at age 6. At 11, he received his first guitar which was purchased by his father on the condition that he learn to play. Clark studied classical guitar for a year before he first heard the music of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin at a friend\'s house.\n', '

When Clark left school his first employer was an engineering firm called GEC Traction where he worked as a lathe operator. He was 3 years into a 4-year apprenticeship with the firm by the time his band Def Leppard was signed to a professional record deal with Phonogram Records.\n', '

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