Tributes paid to the 'godfather of punk' as Malcolm McLaren dies

TRIBUTES were paid last night to former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, who laid claim to inventing punk, after he died following a long battle with cancer.

The 64-year-old legendary music mogul died yesterday morning after his condition suddenly worsened, according to his spokesman Les Molloy.

Musician Jah Wobble, the original bass player in Sex Pistol John Lydon's next band Public Image Ltd (PiL), said he was "shocked".

He added: "You can't deny he was very important. He was a very interesting character, he was a likeable rogue."

"The fact that he wasn't actually a very good businessman made it more fun. He had a great sense of fun. His sense of humour was a great redeeming factor."

Music journalist Jon Savage, who wrote England's Dreaming, on the Sex Pistols and the punk movement, paid tribute to the impact that McLaren had on music.

He said: "Without Malcolm McLaren there would not have been any British punk. He's one of the rare individuals who had a huge impact on the cultural and social life of this nation."

An unashamed self-publicist, McLaren gained notoriety through punk before becoming a household name in his own right. He stood for the newly-created London mayoralty in 2000 on policies that included serving alcohol in libraries.

Mr Savage said McLaren had an enormous influence on British culture through the King's Road shop he opened with Vivienne Westwood and also through the Sex Pistols.

"I hope he'll be remembered with fondness," he said. "He was a complex character, a contradictory character."

After punk McLaren also had chart success with a solo career and as an impresario and film producer.