Legendary British Broadcaster and Factory Records Owner Tony Wilson Dies

Tony Wilson was a driving force behind the rise of electronic and alternative music in the 80's. He was a famous TV personality in England and brought many band that would later become legendary alternative bands onto his TV show, So it Goes, in England . Born in Manchester, his knowledge of industrial England and his passion for music gave him an easy charm and a true interest in the bands that he propelled to stardom through his TV show and through his Factory Records label, one of the most influential alternative record labels of all time and his famous Hacienda nightclub. Tony was battling kidney cancer, and died from complications related to his cancer, a spokesman from the hospital where he died said. The hospital spokesman also said that Tony died surrounded by loved ones.

Broadcasting
Tony Wilson had an Oxford education in broadcasting and even after the fall of Factory Records and the Hacienda he continued to have a strong broadcasting career. During the 80's he created and hosted a TV show on Sunday nights called The Other Side of Midnight, a show that spotlighted music, literature, and the arts in general. The Other Side of Midnight was one of the first shows that BBC ever ran on a weekend. He reported for ITV's famous World In Action program in the early 1980s but he was most famous for his program on Channel 4, After Dark, the UK's first late night show, to which he invited musicians, intellectuals, authors and other artists on to discuss their work and other cultural topics. In 2006 Tony Wilson was named as the presenter for the BBC's Politics Show. He stayed involved in music by Djing a weekly radio show on XFM and on BBC Radio.