Nick Kent, the iconic rock critic who revitalised British music journalism at the NME in the 1970s, has died. He was 69. Kent, known for his flamboyant style and intimate portraits of rock stars, stopped writing about music in 2007, citing a lack of mystery in the industry.
Kent joined the NME in 1972 and helped boost its weekly readership to nearly 300,000. He mingled with the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Iggy Pop, and briefly dated Chrissie Hynde. However, a heroin addiction derailed his career by the late 1970s, leading to years of struggle.
After quitting drugs, Kent moved to Paris in the late 1980s, where he lived quietly with his wife, music journalist Laurence Romance, and their son, James, known as the electronic musician Perturbator. He recently published his first novel, The Unstable Boys, a darkly comic tale about a forgotten 1960s rock band.
Kent is survived by his wife and son. His legacy as a pioneering music journalist endures.
