Born Peter Campbell McNeish, Pete Shelley formed Buzzcocks with Howard DeVoto after the two met while attending the Bolton Institute of Technology in 1975.

After releasing their first record, the EP Spiral Scratch in 1977, Howard, who was the lead singer, left the band to form his own thing. Pete took over as the man on the mic and chief songwriter. With him as the head of the group, the Buzzcocks went on to be one of the quintessential bands of punk rock by mixing aggressive and snarling guitar sounds with undeniably catchy pop hooks. It's a sound that is still influencing bands to this day.

After the Buzzcocks split (for the first time) in 1981, Pete launched a solo career and landed himself a top 30 hit on the US dance charts with "Homosapien."

Pete Shelley died on today of a heart attack. He was 63 years old.