1. Anthony Howard Wilson was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and impresario, and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4.
24 Facts About Tony Wilson
1. 2.
Tony Wilson was known as "Mr Manchester", dubbed as such for his work in promoting the culture of Manchester throughout his career.
3.
Tony Wilson was portrayed by Steve Coogan in Michael Winterbottom's film 24 Hour Party People, and by Craig Parkinson in Anton Corbijn's film Control.
4.
Tony Wilson was born 20 February 1950 in Hope Hospital, Pendleton, Salford, Lancashire, to Sydney Tony Wilson and Doris Knupfer, and moved to Marple, near Stockport, Cheshire, at the age of five.
5.
Tony Wilson developed a love of literature and language, ignited by a performance of Hamlet at Stratford upon Avon.
6.
Tony Wilson started his professional career in 1968 at the age of 17, working as an English and Drama teacher at Blue Coat School in Oldham.
7.
Tony Wilson later graduated with a degree in English from Jesus College, Cambridge.
8.
Tony Wilson presented Granada's culture, music and events programme, So It Goes.
9.
Tony Wilson continued in this line of work even at the height of his success in the music industry.
10.
Tony Wilson reported for ITV's current affairs series World in Action in the early 1980s and hosted editions of After Dark, the UK's first open-ended chat show, first on Channel 4 and later BBC Four.
11.
In 1988, Tony Wilson hosted The Other Side of Midnight, another Granada weekly regional culture slot, covering music, literature and the arts in general.
12.
Tony Wilson co-presented the BBC's coverage of The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium with Lisa I'Anson in 1992.
13.
Tony Wilson booked them for the last episode of the first series.
14.
Tony Wilson founded and managed the Hacienda nightclub and Dry Bar.
15.
Tony Wilson made little money from Factory Records or the Hacienda, despite the enormous popularity and cultural significance of both endeavours.
16.
Tony Wilson played a minor role in the film A Cock and Bull Story, in which he interviews Coogan.
17.
Tony Wilson co-produced the Ian Curtis biopic, Control, being portrayed on this occasion by Craig Parkinson.
18.
Tony Wilson was a partner in the annual In the City and Interactive City music festivals and industry conferences, and F4 Records, the fourth version of Factory Records.
19.
Tony Wilson identified himself as a socialist and refused to pay for private healthcare on principle.
20.
Tony Wilson later spoke at several political events on this subject.
21.
Tony Wilson was married twice, first to Lindsay Reade and then to Hilary Sherlock, with whom he had a son, Oliver, and a daughter, Isabel.
22.
Tony Wilson died of a heart attack in Manchester's Christie Hospital on 10 August 2007 aged 57.
23.
Tony Wilson's funeral was at St Mary's RC Church, Mulberry Street, Manchester on 20 August 2007.
24.
Tony Wilson is buried at Southern Cemetery in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester.