Pamela Rooke, who became the icon of the British punk rock scene by the name of Jordan, has died at the age of 66.
Her partner Nick wrote on Brighton and Hove News: "She died peacefully in the company of her lovely family in her home town of Seaford, East Sussex last night (Sunday 3 April) at 9 p.m. a stone's throw away from the sea. Gone... After a short period of illness, she died of a relatively rare type of cancer, known as cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Jordan was a wonderful woman and had been blessed with countless others to come. Will be remembered for decades."
With his highly imaginative makeup and clothing, Rook was a linchpin of the London scene that produced the Sex Pistols, Vivienne Westwood and more; Her daring fashion sense helped reconcile punk's aesthetic to leather, rubber, cropped dresses, partial nudity, and other provocative styles.
Rook got a job at a sex shop in Westwood in his teens. “I was running a gauntlet every day. People were afraid of me,” she later said of her daring outfit. “And the funny thing is, I was actually quite shy.” Sex Pistols regular — bassist Glen Matlock worked there over the weekend – and Rook became a mainstay at Sex Pistols gigs, occasionally appearing on stage.
Along with managing Adam and the Ants, he performed with them, including the song Lou which appeared on the band's John Peel sessions. She also managed Wide Boy Awake featuring guitarist Kevin Mooney, whom she married – she divorced in the mid-1980s.
One of his biggest cultural contributions was a collection of sorts for filmmaker Derek Gerry, who cast him as a lead in the fictional Jubilee, playing a punk named Emil Nitrate. She also appears in her debut film Sebastian.
Rook stopped working in the arts to become a veterinary nurse and cat breeder. “Things had gotten very busy. It sounds really awkward, but mediocrity saved my life,” she said.
She will be portrayed by Game of Thrones actor Maisie Williams in Danny Boyle's sex pistol drama Pistols, which will air in May. Rook recently explained how he mentored Williams on her performance: "What I said to her was, 'You're in a position to play a role that's very strong, a strong woman, and a woman really Is different.' I decided. I wanted to be, like, a walking work of art, if you'd like, and I was completely and completely unstoppable. So he had to get into the role."
Jonathan Ross was among those who paid tribute, saying: "A wonderful woman. He changed our world. And she loved cats. It is very sad that she is gone. Glenn Matlock said: "You will miss the girl."