Hacienda co-founder Wilson dies

LONDON (Reuters) - Anthony Wilson, who managed Manchester bands Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays, has died, British media reported on Friday.

The Manchester Evening News reported that the 57-year-old, who also co-founded Factory Records and the legendary Hacienda nightclub, died on Friday evening at the Christie Hospital after suffering a heart attack this week.

He had been battling kidney cancer, but the newspaper quoted his doctor, Professor Robert Hawkins, as saying:

"It's very sad. He died as a result of something unrelated to his cancer. His cancer was responding well to treatment but obviously did contribute to his poor health."

Neither his agent nor the hospital could immediately be reached for comment.

Wilson was born in Manchester and educated at Cambridge University, where he studied English. He went into journalism and fronted a television music show.

During the 1980s he was at the heart of the Manchester pop music scene dubbed "Madchester," as a result of his involvement in Factory Records, which produced bands such as Joy Division and Happy Mondays, and the Hacienda nightclub.

British film director Michael Winterbottom directed the 2002 picture "24 Hour Party People" based on the venue, in which comedian Steve Coogan played Wilson.

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