Ongoing History Daily: The wandering gravestone of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis

Ian Curtis was the mythical, doomed singer for Joy Division, one of the most influential British indie bands of all time.  He hung himself in his kitchen in May 1980 at the age of 23, he was buried by his wife, Deborah, in a cemetery in Macclesfield, which is just outside Manchester. 

The grave marker was a simple affair.  All it said was “Ian Curtis, 19-5-80.  Love will tear us apart.”  It sat there for decades, untouched.  Fans from all over the world visited the cemetery, just to see this gravestone. 

Then, sometime on July 2 or 3, 2008, it disappeared.  Someone stole it.  It wasn’t cemented into place because, well, no one ever thought it to be necessary.  And with no video surveillance in the area, no one saw who did it. 

While it was never recovered, it was replaced later that same year. And this time, it was cemented into place.