Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 - 18 May 1980) was the songwriter, lyricist and singer of the English post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released its critically-acclaimed debut album Unknown Pleasures in 1979, and recorded their follow-up Closer (Closer (Joy Division album)) in 1980. Suffering from epilepsy and a failing marriage, Curtis committed suicide in May 1980, on the eve of Joy Divisions first North American tour. In 1995, Curtiss widow Deborah published Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division, a biography of the singer. Curtiss life and death have been dramatised in the films 24 Hour Party People (2002) and Control (Control (2007 film)) (2007).