How Peter Stringfellow became the King of Clubs

How Peter Stringfellow became the King of Clubs - Businessman and nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow has died at the age of 77. After a battle with cancer, the charismatic entrepreneur passed away on June 7, leaving behind his wife, Bella, and four children. Take a look back at the nightclub owner's fascinating and often flamboyant life.

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Early days - Peter James Stringfellow was born in Sheffield on 17 October, 1940. He attended Sheffield Central Technical College and left at the age of 15 with a 4th grade Technical Diploma.

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Young entrepreneur - After a couple of years in the merchant navy and some short-term jobs, the young Stringfellow started to run his own club nights.

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Incarceration - It is reported that he served a brief prison sentence in 1962 for selling stolen carpets, and that the experience taught him a lesson to stick to the straight and narrow.

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Club nights - He rented St. Aidan's Church Hall in Sheffield every Friday night and started to book bands. Johnny Tempest and the Cadillacs, Screaming Lord Sutch, and Gene Vincent were just some of the acts he hosted.

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The Beatles connection - In 1963 he booked The Beatles and the demand forced him to rent a larger venue, the Azena Ballroom. It is reported that he sent the Beatles a telegram congratulating them on their first album, 'Please Please Me'.

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Eponymous club - From there, Stringfellow's enterprises grew. He opened the first Stringfellows club in Covent Garden, London in 1980.

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International profile - He went on to open venues in Paris, Miami, Beverly Hills, and New York.

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Adult entertainment - In 1990, Stringfellow introduced table dancing to his New York club. In 2006, his second adult entertainment club, Angels, was opened in Soho, London. He was the first club owner to gain a fully nude licence from Westminster City Council.

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Connected - His 1996 autobiography 'King of Clubs' tells anecdotes of bankruptcy, the New York mafia, and meetings with the rich and famous.

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Licencing issues - In 2009, he criticised the Policing and Crime Act 2009, saying the licensing changes around lap dancing were unnecessary and that he would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if his licences were not renewed. He was granted the necessary licences for Stringfellow's Covent Garden and Angels Soho to provide adult entertainment.

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Personal life - At age 68, he married 27-year-old former Royal Ballet dancer, Bella Wright. The two married in 2009 and had two children together. Stringfellow had been married twice before and was father to two older children.

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Politics - The businessman was a long time Conservative supporter until recently, when he opposed Brexit.

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Personality - Stringfellow was known for his charisma and enigmatic personality, which endeared him to celebrities and civilians alike. His clubs became synonymous with debauchery and hedonism and he was described as Britain's answer to Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner.

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Battle - The businessman underwent treatment for lung cancer in 2008 but kept his health issues private in the years since. He died in the early hours of Thursday, June 7.

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Private - Stringfellow's publicist, Matt Glass, told reporters, "It's very sad news. He passed away in the early hours of this morning. It was kept very private, he didn't want to tell. He wanted to keep it a secret."

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Legacy - Music and entertainment figures have paid tribute to Stringfellow, including BBC DJ Tony Blackburn, who tweeted, “He was a terrific guy who lived life to the full and was a wonderful person to be with. He was always full of fun and, to me, was a big part of the 60s and 70s.”

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