/entertainment
LONDON, England (AP) -- Tony Wilson, a music impresario credited with guiding a crop of bands from industrial England to the international stage, has died. He was 57.
Wilson was one of the leading lights of the Manchester music scene.
Wilson promoted a host of influential musicians from his native city of Manchester in northern England, including Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays.
He died Friday evening from complications of kidney cancer, the city's Christie Hospital said.
Wilson's influence on the city, and on British music, is documented in the 2002 movie "24 Hour Party People," which charts the rise -- and eventual fall -- of Wilson's empire, which included Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub.
Manchester-born and Cambridge-educated, Wilson's record label and nightclub were credited with making the city Britain's most vibrant music center through the 1980s and 1990s, spawning bands including the Smiths, the Stone Roses and Oasis.
Though Factory Records and the Hacienda closed down in the 1990s, Wilson remained a passionate advocate for his city, presenting a radio show for the local British Broadcasting Corp. station.
"He was a true free spirit and a passionate advocate for Manchester -- the city, its people and, of course, its music," the BBC said in a statement. E-mail to a friend 
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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