UPDATE, 5:15 P.M., APRIL 25, 2011: Poly Styrene of X-ray Spex Rumored to Have Passed Away
ORIGINAL POST, 11:02 A.M., FEBRUARY 25, 2011: UK punk icon Poly Styrene, 53, has been diagnosed with cancer. The singer, whose real name is Marian Joan Elliott-Said, is currently undergoing treatment to battle the illness.
Poly gained critical acclaim as X-ray Spex's “singer with braces” from 1976 to 1979. A trained opera singer who released a reggae single before joining the band, she was considered “one of the most memorable front women to emerge from the punk movement.”
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After going solo in 1979, she released an album, and then joined the Hare Krishna. This year, at the end of March, she's releasing a new solo LP, Generation Indigo. She says that although she's “devastated she cannot commit to any live dates at this stage, her album remains a very positive force in her current journey.”
The statement added that Poly has been tweeting about her illness and will continue to keep in touch with fans:
“It's been a bit of a battle fighting this cancer but hey ho I'm still alive, Luv Poly x”.
She also recently added via Twitter: “Hoping & praying I can fight this cancer. Thank u all 4 ur positive vibes, I'm overwhelmed, ur keeping me in the land of living. Luv Poly X”
UPDATE: Poly Styrene of X-ray Spex Rumored to Have Passed Away
