Unearthed Ian Curtis letters reveal hidden side of him and hint at future tragedy

A collection of correspondence from Joy Division star Ian Curtis and his wife to an old schoolfriend of the Joy Division frontman has emerged.

The letters, which recently came up for sale, offer a fascinating insight into the young Ian Curtis, from flashes of humour to a foreshadowing of his tragic death by suicide.

Ian Curtis took his own life on May 18, 1980, aged just 23. The iconic post-punk band he fronted alongside bandmates Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris is often described as one of the most influential bands of all time.

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The owner of the letters, Oliver Cleaver, went to Kings School in Macclesfield with Ian in the late 1960s and '70s and says the two became close friends. In a letter of authenticity provided to the auctioneer, he writes: 'I went to Kings School Macclesfield with Ian Curtis in the late 1960s and 1970s and we became close friends.

"We spent our spare time playing records in Ian's bedroom at his parents' flat or hanging round Sparrow park sniffing Dab-it-off, a dry cleaning fluid you could buy and soak onto a handkerchief with head-spinning effects. I grew close to Debbie as well when she started going out with Ian and then married him.

"Ian was expelled from Kings after he and I had our stomachs pumped at Macclesfield Infirmary after we'd overdosed on a strong antipsychotic drug used to treat anxiety. We had stolen it from an old people's home during a school trip. I was allowed to return to school after two months' suspension. My parents were teachers and I suspect they pulled some strings. Ian's dad was