ARI UP, from the punk band the SLITS......R.I.P.

[marsattacks666]

Lead singer from the punk band the SLITS passed away on 10/20/2010.

[Wicked Lester]

have become a mythology," Up told Spinner last year. "They're like Xena the Warrior Princess. She knew what she wanted. The Slits were totally rebellious and crazy. We were the absolute threat to society. We were such a threat. For our people, we changed the world."

You sure did, Ari. You sure did.]Caroline Coon, Camera Press / Retna
Ari Up, frontwoman for pioneering British punk band the Slits, died Wednesday, according to Sex Pistols' John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten), who wrote of the news on his website. The singer, born Arianna Forster, had long battled a "serious illness," according to Lydon. She was 48.

Lydon, who is married to Forster's mother, wrote: "John and Nora have asked us to let everyone know that Nora's daughter Arianna (aka Ari-Up) died today (Wednesday, October 20th) after a serious illness. She will be sadly missed. Everyone at JohnLydon.com and PiLofficial.Com would like to pass on their heartfelt condolences to John, Nora and family. Rest in Peace."

Up formed the Slits in 1976 at the age of 14, along with drummer Palmolive. The then all-female band, known for their unpredictable and outrageous antics, broke punk's boys' club barriers and made the mold for the early '90s riot grrrl movement. The band released two albums, 1979's 'Cut' -- which features an infamous cover photo of the band topless, covered in mud -- and 1981's 'Return of the Giant Slits,' before disbanding. Up would later release her own solo effort in addition to other musical ventures before reforming the Slits in 2005. The band released an album in 2009, titled 'Trapped Animal.'

"[The Slits] have become a mythology," Up told Spinner last year. "They're like Xena the Warrior Princess. She knew what she wanted. The Slits were totally rebellious and crazy. We were the absolute threat to society. We were such a threat. For our people, we changed the world."

You sure did, Ari. You sure did.


I wasn't much of a fan but I will say they were HUGE ground breakers and helped change the face of punk. As I got older I gained more respect for what they went out to do. Amazing considering they were only kids.