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Anthony Wilson dies from cancer - BBC News

Anthony Wilson, the music mogul behind some of Manchester's most successful bands, has died of cancer.

The Salford-born entrepreneur, who managed New Order, Joy Division and the Happy Mondays, was diagnosed last year during a routine visit to the doctor.

The 57-year-old, who launched Factory records and the Hacienda nightclub, underwent emergency surgery in January to remove a kidney.

He passed away on Friday evening in hospital.

Doctors recommended he take the drug Sutent after chemotherapy failed to beat the disease, but the NHS refused to fund the £3,500-a-month treatment.

However, members of the Happy Mondays and other acts he supported over the years stepped in and started a fund to help pay for it.