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Two of Ian Curtis's former bandmates have jumped to the defence of his widow Debbie and daughter Natalie over the row caused by the sale of the singer's kitchen table.
A kitchen table that belonged to the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis was put up for auction on eBay last week. Said table was in the same room as where the troubled Curtis took his own life. A prop of the piece of furniture was used in the biopic about his life, Control. See a still from the movie below. The listing comes complete with certificates of authenticity signed by members of Curtis' family.
Now, the band have issued the following statement to NME:
"Joy Division original members Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris would like to lend their voice of support to [Ian's widow] Deborah and [Ian's daughter] Natalie Curtis, who have been caused great distress over media reporting of the sale of the table originally owned by the family, and currently being auctioned on eBay.
"Deborah and Natalie would like to point out that the sale of this table has nothing whatsoever to do with them. The table was sold along with the house in 1980 and Natalie has never signed any authentication document. Furthermore, they consider the sale of a personal family item, and the subsequent media reporting, to be distasteful and upsetting."
The man selling the table, Tel Harrop, is a lifelong Joy Division fan and has says that the criticism he has received has been hurtful and he has been left fearful for his safety after some of the reactions.
Also talking to NME, he claimed: "Reading the headlines that have gone around the world, I’m really unhappy with that, and it’s caused me distress because of the things that have been put out. My picture is on the listing and people have been saying, 'If I see that guy…' you know."
