Yorkshire-born nightclub kingpin Peter Stringfellow has died this morning after a long battle with cancer.
The 77-year-old was born in Sheffield and started out his career renting a church hall in the city every Friday.
From there he rose to become known as King of Clubs, with his venues across the country - including his flagship London club, Stringfellows - attracting iconic celebrities.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008 but decided to keep it a secret.
The news eventually broke to the press in 2016 when he told the Express in an interview that he felt guilty about not revealing his illness.
“I do feel guilty about not telling the press at the time," he said.
“But I didn’t want to be known as ‘poor old Pete who had cancer’. I think I just wanted to avoid all the sympathy.
“But every year since I have felt more and more guilty because, if I had made it known more widely, there’s a chance I might have been able to help other men in a similar position."
Stringfellows publicist, Matt Glass, said: "It's very sad news. He passed away in the early hours of this morning. It was kept very private, he didn't want to tell. He wanted to keep it a secret."
