Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

On This Day 37 Years Apart, the World Lost Two Men Who Helped Define Rock Across Eras

Ian Curtis and Chris Cornell are enshrined in music history for their incredible work, but also the similar tragedy of thier deaths.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

May 18 is a dour day for grunge and post-punk fans alike. In 1980, it was the day Ian Curtis of Joy Division died by suicide. 37 years later, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell died the same way. Both served as influential figures in their respective subgenres, and their deaths devastated fans.

In March 1980, Joy Division was recording what would be their final album, Closer. Bassist Peter Hook, speaking to The Guardian in 2011, recalled Curtis first attempting suicide that April. After experiencing seizures in late 1978, Curtis officially received an epilepsy diagnosis in 1979. His condition was severely debilitating and worsened his existing depression.

Additionally, Curtis’ medication caused mood swings, which noticeably altered his personality. Pressures from performing and recording, along with drinking, smoking, and poor sleep, quickly worsened his health.

Joy Division Worked So Hard For Their Popularity, They Felt They’d lose it If They stopped

“He was having a lot of blackouts,” Hook said in 2011. “There was one horrible occasion where he was missing for two hours in the studio. I went in the toilet, and there he was spark out on the floor—he’d had a fit and split his head open........

© Vice