TV Article Joy Division's Ian Curtis: Gone 30 years today By Leah Greenblatt Leah Greenblatt Leah Greenblatt is the former critic at large for movies, books, music, and theater at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2023. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on December 20, 2019 05:42AM EST Photo: Paul Slattery/Retna UK/Landov Image Credit: Paul Slattery/Retna UK/LandovRock history is littered with the names of superstars who died too soon, many at the peak of their fame. But Lancashire-born Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis is one of the rareified few, like Nick Drake or Arthur Russell, whose modest cult status transformed into something much larger and more influential after his death. Bands ranging from the Cure and U2 to Radiohead, Interpol, and Bloc Party all owe some musical debt to the bleak, baritoned post-punk sound that Curtis, who took his own life two months shy of his 24th birthday, pioneered with Joy Division. And countless artists (among them, U2 and Arcade Fire, Fall Out Boy, and of course New Order, the band that sprung from JD’s ashes) have covered the band’s signature song, “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” Still, no one else ever quite mastered his onstage trademark, the malfunctioning-robot dance: Rest in peace, Ian, and thanks for what you gave us; we wish your time here could have lasted a little longer. (Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.) More from EW.com’s Music Mix: ACL 2010 lineup announced: Eagles, Phish, Strokes, M.I.A. among headliners How to Destroy Angels: Watch Trent Reznor’s shocking new video Ronnie James Dio: An Appreciation Kanye West posts photos galore of Michael Jackson’s glorious stuff Jay-Z and Eminem set for two hometown stadium concerts together