Malcolm McLaren has died in Switzerland, aged 64; he was being treated for mesothelioma, a form of cancer more usually associated with exposure to asbestos. His girlfriend, Young Kim, hopes to fulfil one of McLaren's final wishes and bury him in Highgate Cemetery, London.
"Old maids say I have no sense, boys declare I'm just immense"
McLaren emerged from art school in the 1960s and, with Vivienne Westwood, set up Let It Rock - a fashion store specialising in rubber and leather fetish gear. It was later, infamously, renamed "Sex" and he and Westwood defined punk fashion. The two married and had one son, Joseph Corre, the co-founder of lingerie shop Agent Provocateur.
McLaren's next project was the Sex Pistols which he and they made famous by courting controversy. Their debut single Anarchy in the UK was released in December 1976 and the band became a household name when they swore on Bill Grundy's TV show. Their concerts faced difficulties with promoters and authorities and they were fired by both EMI and A&M records. In 1977, their single God Save the Queen was banned by the BBC. McLaren then created his disputed film version of the Sex Pistols' story, the Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. The band broke up at the end of a US tour in January 1978 with members accusing McLaren of mismanaging them and withholding money.
McLaren also managed a number of other bands, including Bow Wow Wow before producing his own records including the much-sampled track Double Dutch from the 1983 album Duck Rock. He continued to be involved in the culture and arts scene up until his death, earning him in equal measure acclaim as a doyen of music and design and criticism for his marketing of pop culture. More recently he stood for the then newly created London mayoralty in 2000. Amongst his policies was the serving of alcohol in libraries.
