The Slits Singer Dies

The Slits Singer Dies

Punk singer Ari-Up, John Lydon's step daughter, has died.

The lead singer of influential 70s group The Slits, real name Arianna Forster, has passed away aged 48 as the result of a "serious illness".

A statement released by the family read: "John and Nora have asked us to let everyone know that Nora's daughter Arianna (aka Ari Up) died today, Wednesday, October 20th, after a serious illness. She will be sadly missed.

Everyone at JohnLydon.com and PiLofficial.Com would like to pass on their heartfelt condolences to John , Nora and family.Rest in Peace."

John - also known as Johnny Rotten, who was man of punk bands The Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd (PiL) - is married to Nora Forster, Adrianna's mother.

Adrianna formed The Slits in 1976 when she was just 14 and toured with seminal punk bands The Clash and The Buzzcocks in 1977 on their 'White Riot' tour.

The group released their highly regarded debut album 'Cut' in 1979 which saw the band's raw punk sound take on a more reggae influence.

The band released another album 'Return Of The Giant Slits' in 1981 before splitting up. They reformed in 2005 and had been together until Ari's death. It is unclear if the group will continue without her.

Writing on the band's MySpace page, their manager wrote a tribute to Adrianna, which read: "She was truly one of a kind, and there will never be another like her. She influenced generations of Women and created some of the most memorable music of our time, but Ari's true magic was how she affected people on the street, Face To Face, every day. She ate life up and spit it out. She lived it on her own terms and never gave an inch! The Slits will live on forever and continue to change the way people feel about music and themselves and that's just the way Ari would want it! We will all miss you so much!"