RIP Poly Styrene

Punk singer Poly Styrene, former singer with the X Ray Spex, has died at the age of 53 after suffering from cancer. She was one of the first female punk icons, whose unorthodox yet infectious style was highly influential. Real name Marianne Elliot-Said, she had cancer of the spine and breast.



A statement said: "We can confirm that the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle on Monday evening to go to higher places." Poly Styrene formed her band after watching the Sex Pistols perform on Hastings Pier on her 18th birthday and became known for her unpolished vocals and energetic rallying cries against consumerism and environmental destruction.

The band released just one album, Germ Free Adolescents, in 1978, before splitting up. The singer went on to record a more subtle and subdued solo album, Translucence, in 1980, before retreating from the music industry to join the Hare Krishnas.


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She moved into a Krishna temple in Hertfordshire with her daughter, and struggled with bipolar disorder. She occasionally re-emerged into the limelight, and released her third solo album, Generation Indigo, last month.