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Feminist punk icon Poly Styrene dies at 53
The X-Ray Spex singer, who inspired a generation of musicians, has died of cancer
Punk legend Poly Styrene, best known as front-woman with the band X-Ray Spex, has died of cancer at the age of 53. Her death was announced on Twitter, where a statement on her official feed said: "We can confirm that the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle on Monday evening to go to higher places."
X-Ray Spex (above, with Styrene on right) are best known for their 1977 single Oh Bondage, Up Yours, which became an anti-establishment anthem and established Styrene as a feminist icon, but the band only released one album, Germ-Free Adolescents, which spawned several minor hits, before splitting up in 1979.
Styrene, whose real name was Marian Elliott-Said, recorded a solo album in 1980 called Translucence, but then went to live in a Hare Krishna temple. She came out of retirement in 2004 to release a new age record called Flower Aeroplane and last month her third solo album, Generation Indigo, was released to warm reviews. By then it was known that Styrene was battling cancer, she revealed her illness in an interview in February.
It was the opening salvo of Oh Bondage, Up Yours that established Styrene as a star. The song begins with her speaking and screaming the line: "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard... I think, oh bondage, up yours."
Her aggressively feminist image - she wore braces and said she would shave her head if anyone tried to turn her into a sex symbol - and her mixed-race background (her father was Somalian) helped her stand out from the crowd. She is also credited with influencing generations of later musicians and she is often cited as an inspiration for 1990s feminist punk movement Riot Grrrl.
Fans flocked to Twitter to mourn her death. Among them was Boy George, who wrote: "I was a fan of Poly before I got to know her, she was a Krishna follower too, oh bless you Poly you will be missed! Legend!"
And although she will be best-remembered for Oh Bondage, Up Yours, she told the BBC earlier this year that she hoped to be known for "something a bit more spiritual". ·
