Peter Stringfellow dead: 'King of Clubs' nightclub mogul dies age 77

The businessman has had cancer for a number of years and initially kept his illness private.

His publicist said: "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."

He leaves behind his wife, Bella, and four children, Karen, Scott, Rosabella and Angelo.

He was also grandfather to Taylor, Jaime, Thomas and Isabelle.

In 2016, Mr Stringfellow spoke about the cancer diagnosis he received in 2008.

He said: “I didn’t want to be known as ‘poor old Pete who had cancer’. I think I just wanted to avoid all the sympathy.

“But every year since I have felt more and more guilty because, if I had made it known more widely, there’s a chance I might have been able to help other men in a similar position.”

Mr Stringfellow was famous for opening a string of clubs across the world, with topless girls and late-night parties seeing his empire compared to that of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

He rented his first venue in Sheffield in 1962, however, the business took off in 1963 when the Beatles played a concert there.

The demand for tickets was so high he was forced to hire a larger venue. He went on to host acts including The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix.

In 1980, he opened his famous club in London’s Covent Garden. It was an immediate success and attracted celebrities from around the world.

Prince, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones were among A-listers who attended.

Professor Stephen Hawking even joined him for dinner at one of the venues.

Mr Stringfellow made headlines earlier this year when he quit the Conservative Party over their stance on Brexit.

The businessman said that the country was “sleepwalking” towards Brexit.

In January, he said: “I’m quitting the Tories unless they change their direction and lead us towards Remain.

"I can’t live with the fact that I’m supporting a party that is totally against what I think is good for our country.

“We are all sleep-walking towards Brexit. When my time comes I want people to remember that I did stand up and say ‘Remain’.”

Born in Sheffield in 1940, Mr Stringfellow was the eldest of four boys who were brought up by the women in his family after the men went to war.

He served a brief prison sentence in 1962 for selling stolen carpets, a sharp lesson which he said put him on the straight and narrow.

In a 2012 article for The Guardian he attributed his entrepreneurial spirit to his "feisty" mother.

He said sex was never a topic of conversation in the house. And his father declined an invitation to visit one of his establishments in his later years.

Mr Stringfellow has been married three times, tying the knot with his current wife Bella, in 2009 when she was 27 and he was 68.

In 2018, before his passing, Mr Stringfellow's Net Worth was estimated to be around $50million (£37.1million)

Tribute have begun pouring in for the charasmatic entertainment mogul.

Kate Garroway, who interviewed Stringfellow during a debate on parenthood in later life for Good Morning Britain, paid tribute on Twitter.

She said: "Peter you will be missed . Sending thoughts to his family xx

ITV show Loose Women, who Peter supported with their cancer awareness drive in 2017, also paid a warm tribute to the former nightclub owner.

The show tweeted: "Peter Stringfellow has died after a private cancer battle... Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Mr Stringfellow's personal life was as varied and colourful as his professional one, having been married three times since the 1960s.

He married Norma Williams in 1960 and had a daughter, Karen who was born in the 1960s.

Comedian Rufus Hound tweeted: "RIP Peter Stringfellow. You're with the angels now. So no change there."

Callum Best, the son of legendary footballer George, said; “RIP Peter Stringfellow, so many amazing memories I have with this man, from when I first came to UK and he took care of me for years in his club to staying with him and his family in Spain.

“Rest in peace friend, my thoughts r with ur family. No doubt a legacy will live on.” [sic]

Greg Scott wrote: “Peter Stringfellow. That’s one person who won’t be arriving at the Pearly Gates thinking, ‘If only I’d…’

He married Norma Williams in 1960. After they divorced, he married Coral Wright in 1967. They had one son together, Scott, a racing driver before divorcing in 1984.

He had a 12-year relationship with Frizzby Fox, which ended in 1996, and then with model and actress Helen Benoist, with whom he lived until 1998.

Stringfellow, at age 68, married a 27-year-old former Royal Ballet dancer, Bella Wright, in Barbados on Valentine's Day in 2009.