September 24, 2007 16:14

Fans campaign to build Tony Wilson statue in Manchester

Sign the petition to get a statue of the Factory Records legend made

After NME.COM reported the death of Factory Records legend Tony Wilson last month we were inundated with tributes from both fans of the music he supported and helped create, and musicians who worked with him or were influenced by Factory bands such as Joy Division and Happy Mondays.

There’s been plenty of talk about what might be the best way to pay tribute to Wilson, with Peter Hook even suggesting he’d be up for playing bass in New Order again for a commemorative gig, despite having massively fallen out with former bandmates Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris.

There have also been suggestions that a music venue in Wilson’s name would be a fitting tribute, or a statue in his beloved Manchester.

Well, we at NME.COM think the latter idea is a cracker, and the best way to remember the man who influenced so much of the music you listen to today.

There's already an online petition to get a statue of Wilson made, and you can sign up on the petition's official homepage.

Ideally, we reckon the statue should show Wilson wearing a trademark safari-style suit and white tennis shoes.

Peter Saville, who worked with Wilson at Factory, has also suggested a statue would be a great way of commemorating Wilson. But what do you think? Head to the NME Office Blog now to have your say.