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Pete Shelley tragically died on December 6 in Estonia, his wife’s homeland. The couple had moved to the northern European country following their wedding in London. Pete Shelley’s cause of death as been given as a heart attack, reports BBC.
Shelley was one of the founders of the seminal punk band the Buzzcocks best known for the song, “Ever Fallen in Love?” In a statement, the band said, “It’s with great sadness that we confirm the death of Pete Shelley, one of the UK’s most influential and prolific songwriters and co-founder of the seminal original punk band Buzzcocks. Pete’s music has inspired generations of musicians over a career that spanned five decades and with his band and as a solo artist, he was held in the highest regard by the music industry and by his fans around the world.”
Here’s what you need to know about the love of Pete Shelley’s life:
1. Pete Shelley Said that the Couple Decided to Move to Estonia Because of its ‘Tranquility’
Shelley relocated from London to Estonia as his wife, Greta, is from the northern European country. Shelley told Stuff in April 2013 that his wife was Estonian but grew up in Canada. Shelley is quoted in the interview as saying, “A couple of years ago we got married and we only had a small flat in London which was getting a bit crowded. We came over [to Tallinn] visiting relatives and it was such a beautiful place. It’s a world heritage site and it’s nice and quiet. In the place I was in London at three in the morning it would be a siren corridor. This is a lot more tranquil and it’s only a three-hour flight to the UK, so we’re not cut off.” In the same interview, Shelley said his nickname for Estonia was “E-tonia” because “They do everything online.”
In a separate interview, Shelley said that the couple had made the move in 2012 and at that stage, the singer had not “done the sauna, but I’ve done fish,” referring to local food specialties. When asked about the language, Shelley said, “I can understand a bit. It helps watching The Simpsons. With the subtitles, you can say ‘Ah, that’s what it means.'”
Pete Shelley ‘Dabbled’ in Homosexuality in the Past
Pete Shelley came out as bisexual during the Buzzcocks’ early days. In an interview with Vice Magazine in 2014, Buzzcock Steve Diggle said that Shelley “dabbled” in homosexuality during a phase because “Anything that was controversial in 1976 was welcome to the table.” Diggle went on to say that Shelley had been married twice with children. Diggle described his relationship with Shelley as “kind of like being married,” in an interview with Pitchfork. Diggle added, “We’ve known each other longer than we’ve known girlfriends and wives we’ve had over the years. It’s a long haul. It’s been 33 years I’ve known him. It’s kind of like being married. In the band, it’s like being married to four fucking people.”
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