Peter Stringfellow in pictures: Flamboyant 'king of clubs' dies aged 77
The businessman Peter Stringfellow, who died at the age of 77 on Thursday morning after a battle with cancer, was known for a flamboyant style which helped him become a magnet for celebrities across the world.
Stringfellow started in the nighttime trade in the early 1960s and recalled booking acts including The Beatles, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix to play at his clubs.
Read more: Peter Stringfellow’s most memorable quotes
In 1980 he opened Stringfellows in Covent Garden in London’s West End and went on to create venues in Paris, New York, Miami, and Beverly Hills.
With its topless girls and exuberant after-hours entertainment, the Stringfellow brand became a byword for debauchery and sexual kicks that had echoes of the empire created by late Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner.
The mogul said his clubs had hosted A-listers including Prince, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones.
Stringfellow underwent treatment for lung cancer after being diagnosed in 2008.
However he kept the diagnosis a secret for nearly six years, telling only family and close friends, until it was leaked in 2015.
Married three times and a grandfather four times over, Stringfellow is survived by his wife, Bella and four children, Karen, Scott, Rosabella and Angelo.