Pete Shelley formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 when Devoto left.
19 Facts About Pete Shelley
2.
Pete Shelley was born to Margaret and John McNeish at 48 Milton Street, in Leigh, Lancashire.
3.
Pete Shelley's mother was an ex-mill worker in the town and his father was a fitter at Astley Green Colliery.
4.
When Devoto left the band in February 1977, Pete Shelley took over as the lead vocalist and chief songwriter.
5.
In 1981, Pete Shelley released his first solo single, "Homosapien", produced by Rushent.
6.
Pete Shelley talked openly about his bisexuality at this time, which had been implicit in many of the songs he had written, but now came to wider attention due to "Homosapien" and the BBC ban.
7.
Pete Shelley released his second LP XL1 in 1983 on Genetic Records.
8.
In mid-1984, Pete Shelley released the single "Never Again", followed by the album Heaven and the Sea in 1986.
9.
Pete Shelley composed the theme music for the intro of the Tour de France on Channel 4, which was used from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
10.
Pete Shelley recorded a new version of "Homosapien", called "Homosapien II", in 1989.
11.
Pete Shelley played with various other musicians during his career, including the Invisible Girls who backed punk poet John Cooper Clarke.
12.
Pete Shelley briefly reunited with Howard Devoto to make the LP Buzzkunst, released in 2002.
13.
Pete Shelley appeared on the 2005 debut EP by the Los Angeles band the Adored, who toured with Buzzcocks the following year.
14.
In 2005 Shelley re-recorded "Ever Fallen in Love " with an all-star group, including Roger Daltrey, David Gilmour, Peter Hook, Elton John, Robert Plant and several contemporary bands, as a tribute to John Peel; proceeds went to Amnesty International.
15.
Pete Shelley performed the song live at the 2005 UK Music Hall of Fame.
16.
Pete Shelley was married in 1991 and divorced in 2002.
17.
Pete Shelley moved to Tallinn, Estonia, in 2012 after marrying Kaido, an Estonian, preferring the less-hectic pace there to London where he had lived for nearly thirty years.
18.
Pete Shelley died there of a suspected heart attack on the morning of 6 December 2018.
19.
Tributes to Shelley came from a diverse range of music industry professionals, including Pearl Jam, Duff McKagan, Pixies, Billy Talent, Peter Hook, Duran Duran, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Joyce, Gary Kemp, Flea, Mike Mills, Ginger Wildheart, Glen Matlock and Stuart Braithwaite.