Joy Division’s Curtis’ Grave Marker Stolen

What’s next, a documentary and a box set? Er, never mind…

By Fred Mills

First they rob his grave, then the steal the gravestone — Ian Curtis’, that is. The iconic Joy Division vocalist had his life and legacy disinterred in two recent films, Anton Corbijn’s Curtis biopic Control, and Grant Gee’s Joy division documentary Joy Division, and now we’ve learned via a BBC report that the memorial marker at Curtis’ grave was taken sometime between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

Curtis, who died in 1980, was buried in Cheshire in the Macclesfield Cemetery, and thieves took the marker which bore the legend Ian Curtis 18-5-80 Love Will Tear Us Apart. According to a police spokesman they have no leads in the case. “This is a very unusual theft,” he noted, however, “and I am confident that someone locally will have knowledge about who is responsible or where the memorial stone is at present."

Good point. And it’s not exactly the kind of thing you’re going to be able to flog on eBay, now, is it?

A representative from the Macclesfield Borough Council added, "I'm shocked this has happened. Someone's gone to a great deal of trouble to remove the memorial stone and I hope our appeal will help return it as soon as possible."

By the way, just kidding about that grave robbing remark above: both Control and Joy Division are outstanding films that do both Curtis and his band proud. And c’mon folks — return the goddam stone. That’s pretty low.