In 1981 a memorial to Ian Curtis was painted on a retaining wall in Wellington's Wallace Street. Curtis, lead singer of the English band Joy Division, had died by suicide the previous year. The original memorial read 'Ian Curtis RIP' and was added to over time. In 2009 the Wellington City Council graffiti squad painted it out, but its fans retaliated, renewing the writing every time it was obliterated. A more substantial mural was created, and this was left alone by the council.