Peter Townsend, the dashing World War II fighter pilot who loved and lost Princess Margaret, has died after more than 30 years of self-imposed exile. As a result of his position with Faber and Faber, Townshend developed friendships with both Nobel prize-winning author of Lord of the Flies, Sir William Golding, and British Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. During the 1980s, Townshend mainly used Fenders, Rickenbackers and Telecaster-style models built for him by Schecter and various other luthiers. So Sarah might be the chicest royal in the family. [58] The piece would explore the tenets of Baba's philosophy. [110] In his autobiography, he wrote: I wasn't trying to play beautiful music. He joined the Royal Air . The following year, the association was moved to another Townshend-owned apartment, the Eccleston Square former residence of his wife Karen. Pete Townshend is an English rock musician. Townshend was the first to break his guitar, and he was the first to do a lot of things. He worked as equerry to King George VI and was married with two children, but entertained an ongoing affair with Princess Margaret. The project was known as MEFA, or Meher Baba European Film Archive. August 21, 2022 - 07:13 BST hellomagazine.com. The ORK (original smaller) keyboard of which is on display in his company's head office alongside a pink Vespa scooter. [27], In late 1961, Entwistle joined the Detours, a skiffle/rock and roll band, led by Roger Daltrey. The two split when Townshend was a toddler and he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother Emma Dennis, whom Pete later described as "clinically insane". Pete Townsend's children. Who is The Crown's Peter Townsend? In 1984 Townshend contributed lyrics to the track "I'm the Answer" on his brother Simon's debut solo album, Sweet Sound. [102] The musical has been a work in progress at least since 2009 with an original estimated release of 2011. Townshend was born ten days after Nazi Germany surrendered in the Second World War and grew up in the shadow of reconstruction in and around London. Peter Townsend. Margaret was 23 at the time, and Townsend . He is a German Shepherd millionaire who used to be friends with Brian Griffin. [59] The result was the rock opera Tommy, released on 23 May 1969 to critical and commercial success. S5 E4 real history: the Queen's "annus horribilis" and Princess Margaret's relationship with Peter Townsend. [42] However, it was the release of the Who's third single, "My Generation", in November that, according to Who biographer Mark Wilkerson, "cemented their reputation as a hard-nosed band who reflected the feelings of thousands of pissed-off adolescents at the time. [37] The band anguished over a name that all felt represented the band best, and dropped the High Numbers name, reverting to the Who. After the Who performed at half-time at Super Bowl XLIV, Townshend stated that he is concerned that his tinnitus has grown to such a point that he might be forced to discontinue performing with the band altogether. Townshend is one of the key figures in the development of feedback in rock guitar. "[154], In a 2019 interview with The Times, Townshend revealed he was in favour of the United Kingdom remaining in the European Union, stating, "I'm a Remainer, he [Roger Daltrey] is a Brexiteer. "[142] Townshend later wrote in his 2012 autobiography Who I Am that he is "probably bisexual". Log In. He used this guitar at the Woodstock[119] and Isle of Wight shows in 1969 and 1970, as well as the Live at Leeds performance in 1970. He called the song a "coming out, an acknowledgment of the fact that I'd had a gay life, and that I understood what gay sex was about. The real reason Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend's love affair was doomed from the start. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend was born on 19 May 1945, at Chiswick Hospital, West London. By Mehera Bonner Published: Sep 22, 2022. Date of birth. Pete Townshend. While Phillip did begin taking lessons in 1952, he was not instructed by Townsend.. Later on, the series shows Winston Churchill to be quite upset by the news that . A professorial father figure with a wife and four children, Townsend's character seemed, at least to my adolescent . In 1989 Townshend began work on a novel entitled Ray High & The Glass Household, a draft of which was later submitted to his editor. [121] The sculpture was featured at the Rock Stars, Cars And Guitars 2 exhibit during the summer of 2009 at The Henry Ford museum. May 25, 2017 - WOMAN Group Captain Peter Townsend MARRIED INSTEAD OF PRINCESS MARGARET. Townshend also used a Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck very briefly circa late 1967, and both a Harmony Sovereign H1270[122] and a Fender Electric XII for the studio sessions for Tommy for the 12-string guitar parts. Isaiah (1777-1838) and John (1783-1854) Townsend, merchants of Albany, were born at Sterling, Orange County, New York. [23], Townshend's brothers Paul and Simon were born in 1957 and 1960, respectively. I believe in God, he doesn't."[155]. Many members of the Townsend family were born in Sterling, Orange County, New York, including brothers Isaiah Townsend (1777-1838) and John Townsend (1783-1854), great-nephews of Peter Townsend. As we hark back to the events that led to this statement, the royal family endures one knockback . Group Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend, CVO, DSO, DFC and Bar, RAF (22 November 1914 - 19 June 1995) was Equerry to King George VI 1944-1952 and held the same position for Queen Elizabeth II 1952-1953. In 1979 Townshend produced and performed guitar on the novelty single "Peppermint Lump" by Angie on Stiff Records, featuring 11-year-old Angela Porter on lead vocals. He also used the Gibson ES-335, one of which he donated to the Hard Rock Cafe. [39] The on-stage destruction of instruments soon became a regular part of the Who's live shows. [36] The band was soon taken on by a mod publicist named Peter Meaden who convinced them to change their name to the High Numbers to give the band more of a mod feel. Then we don't have to do it. [87], Townshend made several solo appearances during the 1970s, two of which were captured on record: Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert[88] in January 1973 (which Townshend organized to revive Clapton's career after the latter's heroin addiction),[89] and the Paul McCartney-sponsored Concerts for the People of Kampuchea in December 1979. Princess Margaret was a teenager when she first met Peter Townsend. Several of Townshend's essays have been posted online, including "Meher BabaThe Silent Master: My Own Silence" in 2001, and "A Different Bomb", an indictment of the child pornography industry, the following year. 4 in the charts upon its release in December 1966. The band is regarded by many rock critics as one of the best[77][78] live bands[79][80] from the 1960s to the 2000s. When this established that millions of people were living in abject hardship, the shockwaves went beyond the academy, making Townsend a public figure - "the man who rediscovered poverty". [56], By 1968, Townshend became interested in the teachings of Meher Baba. He was romantically involved with Princess Margaret in the 1950s. I was confronting my audience with the awful, visceral sound of what we all knew was the single absolute of our frail existenceone day an aeroplane would carry the bomb that would destroy us all in a flash. [92] In 1993 he and Des McAnuff wrote and directed the Broadway adaptation of the Who album Tommy, as well as a less successful stage musical based on his solo album The Iron Man, based upon the book by Ted Hughes. Peter Townsend was born on November 22, 1914 in Rangoon, Burma, British India [now Yangon, Yangon, Myanmar]. Townshend wrote a song, "I Can't Explain", as a deliberate sound-alike of the Kinks, another group Talmy produced. [13] Not long thereafter, he went to see Bill Haley perform in London, Townshend's first concert. In the early days with the Who, Townshend played an Emile Grimshaw SS De Luxe and 6-string and 12-string Rickenbacker semi-hollow electric guitars primarily (particularly the Rose-Morris UK-imported models with special f-holes). During a chat with the PBS News Hour, Townshend spoke candidly for the first time about his . ROBERT TOWNSEND OBITUARY. The third article, "The Punk Meets the Godmother", appeared in November 1977. Routledge & K. Paul, 1957 - Aged - 284 pages. [139] According to The Sunday Times Rich List his assets were worth 40million as of 2009. The third system Townshend owns is one of the first Synclavier II systems ever built. Peter Dennis Townshend (/tanznd/; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. Age. Between 1969 and 1971 Townshend, along with other devotees to Meher Baba, recorded a trio of albums devoted to his teachings: Happy Birthday, I Am, and With Love. The Who continues to perform critically acclaimed sets into the 21st century, including highly regarded performances at The Concert For New York City in 2001, the 2004 Isle of Wight Festival, Live 8 in 2005, and the 2007 Glastonbury Festival. Margaret was inclined to . Townshend figured prominently in the development of what is widely known in rock circles as the "Marshall stack". There are several Gibson Pete Townshend signature guitars, such as the Pete Townshend SG, the Pete Townshend J-200, and three different Pete Townshend Les Paul Deluxes. As a member of the Who, Townshend has also performed a series of concerts, beginning in 2000 to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK, which raised several million pounds. [93][94], From the mid-1990s through the present, Townshend has participated in a series of tours with the surviving members of the Who, including a 2002 tour that continued despite Entwistle's death.[95]. It sowed a seed.". In 1993, Townshend authored another book, The Who's Tommy, a chronicle of the development of the award-winning Broadway version of his rock opera. They married on 20 May 1968 and moved into a three-bedroom townhouse in Twickenham in outer south-west London that overlooked the Thames. You can play something slowly and you press a switch and it plays it back at double speed. 80. Townshend remained the primary songwriter and leader of the group, writing over 100 songs which appeared on the band's eleven studio albums. An aunt encouraged him to learn piano but after seeing . 1. ", "The Who's Pete Townshend's 15 million London home has been sold", "Talkin' 'bout my National Trust generation", "Pete Townshend put on sex offenders register", "Pete Townshend says court 'would have destroyed me', "Pete Townshend book describes 'insane' attempt to expose internet child abuse", "Pete Townshend: I paid for child porn to prove British banks were channelling sex-ring cash", "Flashback: Watch the Who Blow Up 'Smothers Brothers' in Primetime", "The Who's Future Uncertain as Townshend's Tinnitus Returns", "Pete Townshend Says Don't Be 'Fooled' By Michael Moore", "The Hypertext Who Article Archive Penthouse Interview (1974)", "The Who Guitarist Says He Is A Neoconservative", "The Who on a new album, ageing and artistic differences", "Pete Townshend Smashes Guitar for Charity", "The Who launch teen cancer program at LA hospital", "David Gilmour | Music | About Face | Official Website", "Bruce Springsteen to Honor Pete Townshend for Addiction Charity Work", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", Pete Townshend's commercial Eelpie web site, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pete_Townshend&oldid=1140839083, "Lonely at the Top" and "Hard Woman" with, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 01:10. and John Bonham", "Pete Townshend's Classic Quadrophenia With Billy Idol Announces U.S. Tour Dates (by Michael Gallucci)", "Pete Townshend Plots Short 'Classic Quadrophenia' Tour Townshend will revisit the Who's famous double album with an orchestra to reach "classical and pop music lovers alike" (by Elias Leight)", "Pete Townshend: The Rolling Stone Interview", "The Who Official Band Website Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, Home", "The Who, and the Super Bowl's Evolving Halftime Show", "Roger Daltrey should write songs for next Who album", "Album Review: The Who Remain Blunt as Ever on Uneven WHO", "Pete Townshend on the Future of the Who", "Townshend Offers Update On New Solo Project WROR", "The Who's Pete Townshend plans new musical", "The Who Sell Out: Pete Townshend Gets Millions for Back Catalog", "An interview with Pete Townshend: 'I might retire from making money', "The Who's Pete Townshend announces debut novel, The Age of Anxiety", "Pete Townshend: "I wasn't trying to make beautiful music", "Guild F-612XL 12-string acoustic guitar | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "Takamine Guitars | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "Danelectro Guitars | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "10 Things You Gotta Do To Play Like Pete Townshend", "The Who's guitar is smash hit of Woodstock display", "The secrets behind Pete Townshend's tone on The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again", "Pete Townshend's Smashed Rickenbacker Takes More Than $78K at Auction", "Pete's Equipment, Harmony Sovereign H-1270 12-string acoustic guitar, Whotabs, Pete Townshend", "Fender Jazzmaster | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear", "Vox amplifiers | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear", "Pete's Gear: 1959 Fender Bandmaster Amplifier", "Pete Townshend: On Guitar-Smashing Regrets, Stylistic Evolution, and Becoming a Gear Aficionado", "1952 Fender Telecaster | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear", "ARP 2500 and 2600 synthesizers | Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear | Whotabs", "In Love with Meher Baba, by Pete Townshend", "Pete Townshend: So Why Did a Guy Who Hates Pinball Write A Rock Opera About it? In 1968 Townshend helped assemble a band called Thunderclap Newman consisting of three musicians he knew: pianist Andy Newman (an old art school friend), drummer John "Speedy" Keen (who had written "Armenia City in the Sky" for the Who to record for their 1967 album The Who Sell Out) and teenage guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (later to join Wings). Townshend has also contributed to and authored many newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts, and he has collaborated as a lyricist and composer for many other musical acts. [148], Townshend suffers from partial deafness and tinnitus, likely the result of noise-induced hearing loss from his extensive exposure to loud music. [66] Entitled Quadrophenia, it was the only Who album written entirely by Townshend, and he produced the album as well due to the souring of relations with Lambert. LONDON (AP) _ Group Capt. He was a fine mayor from what I understand, but I think the position he's got really would be better served by a person who's managed a large enterprise". Group Capt. According to The Telegraph, three years after publicly declaring the end of her scrutinized relationship with divorc Group Captain Peter Townsend (who was 16 years her senior), Margaret met Lord Snowdon.Then 28, the princess was a staple of London's elite nightlife scene, so it was fitting that she and the photographer first saw each other at a private dinner party. Townshend has written more than 100 songs for 12 of the Who's studio albums. Townshend shares songwriting credit on two songs ("Love on the Air" and "All Lovers Are Deranged") on Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's 1984 solo album About Face. The launch, followed on 5 November by a fund-raising event, was also attended by Robert Plant and Dave Grohl.[157]. After a lengthy delay, Townshend's autobiography, now titled Who I Am, was released 8 October 2012. Rock icon pens memoir. Although known for his musical compositions and musicianship, Townshend has been extensively involved in the literary world for more than three decades, writing newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts. [4] In 2001, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of the Who; and in 2008 he received Kennedy Center Honors. SHE LOOKS LIKE HER! I have had assistance from younger forensic engineers and mastering engineers to help me clean up the high frequencies that are out of my range. Pete Townshend. Funeral services will be held at 2:00pm, Friday, January 21st, at Feigum Funeral Home, 808 W . Townshend sat on a committee which oversaw the operation and finances of the centre. [32] In 1963, Townshend's father arranged an amateur recording of "It Was You", the first song his son ever wrote. [97] In 2012, the Who announced they would tour the rock opera Quadrophenia. We're finished. Townshend has been an active champion of children's charities. "[60], In 1970, the Who released Live at Leeds, which several music critics cite as the best live album of all time. "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy", a blow-by-blow account of the Who compilation album of the same name, followed in December 1971. Cause of death At Ealing, Townshend studied alongside future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. His friendship with Hughes led to Townshend's musical interpretation of Hughes's children's story The Iron Man, six years later, as The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend, released in 1989. Lord Snowdon, in 1958 and, a couple of months later, sat for a portrait with him. sfn error: no target: CITEREFGiuliano1983 (, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 01:10, swing his right arm against the guitar strings, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster, The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend, "The Who unveil first new song in eight years", "Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time", "The Who to receive lifetime achievement award at Spring Sing 2016", "Review: Pete Townshend memoir 'Who I Am' gloomy yet addictive", "The Immortals The Greatest Artists of All Time: 29) The Who", "First Annual Lifetime Achievement Award in Live Music", The Sex Pistols Steve Jones: 'I lost everything, hit bottom, and had to work my way back up', "Steve Hoffman Music Forums: Pete Townshend Peppermint Lump", "When Eric Clapton Staged His Rainbow Concert Comeback", "Eric Clapton's Lifesaving 'Rainbow Concert' Revisited", "John Lennon's Coolness to Pete Townshend", "Watch Paul McCartney Lead an All-Star Band with Pete Townshend, Robert Plant (on Bass!) In a 1974 Penthouse interview he stated that he recognised in practice he was a capitalist who was rewarded well for his work, but that his ideals were communist. Between 1997 and 2002, Townshend played five benefit shows for Maryville Academy, raising at least $1,600,000. When asked who first used feedback, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore said: Pete Townshend was definitely the first. The following year, Townshend performed at a benefit for the annual Bridge School Benefit, a California facility for children with severe speech and physical impairments, with concerts organised by Neil and Pegi Young. Peter lived on month day 1947, at address, North Carolina. Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 2, 2023. For much of the 1970s, he used a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, some with only two mini-humbucker pick-ups and others modified with a third pick-up in the "middle position" (a DiMarzio Superdistortion / Dual Sound). This piezo system is controlled by an extra volume control behind the guitar's bridge. [33] The Detours became aware of a group of the same name in February 1964, forcing them to change their name. 10 in Rolling Stone's updated 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Peter Townsend did eventually remarry, very happily, and became the father of a second family.. What happened to Townsend after Margaret? [6] He and Roger Daltrey received The George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA on 21 May 2016. In 1983, Townshend received the Brit Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 1990 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who. He posted a chapter each week until it was completed, and novella was available to read at his website for several months. She is known as the daughter of the late Royal Air pilot and flight lieutenant Peter Woolridge Townsend. Episode four, 'Annus Horribilis', opens with a tearful Queen Elizabeth preparing to make a public apology at the Guildhall. Death: May 09, 1787 (51) New York, New York, United States. Referring to that, in July 2011, Townshend wrote at his blog: "My hearing is actually better than ever because after a feedback scare at the indigO2 in December 2008 I am taking good care of it. At . So when it goes to playing something fast I go to the synth. There are gadgets on synthesizers that enable one to become a virtuoso on the keyboard. Place of death. Structural Info. [136] They have three children: Emma (born 1969), who is a gardening columnist, Aminta (born 1971), who works in film production, and Joseph (born 1989), who studied graphic design at Central St. Princess Margaret's first great love passed away in 1995 at age 80. In 1947, Margaretthe daughter of King George VI and the Queen Mother and younger sister to Queen . Group Captain Peter Townsend of the RAF, UK, 19th May 1972. The royal made plans to marry her father's former equerry in the 1950s after his divorce. Also in 1977, Townshend founded Eel Pie Publishing, which specialised in children's titles, music books, and several Meher Baba-related publications. In a 1985 radio interview, he said: What I'm most active in doing is raising money to provide beds in clinics to help people that have become victims of drug abuse. Princess Margaret Met Tony Armstrong-Jones In 1960. Townshend also released several albums dedicated to his spiritual mentor Meher Baba, listed on the discography page. Townshend also personally sold fund-raising anti-heroin T-shirts at a series of UK Bruce Springsteen concerts and reportedly financed a trip for former Clash drummer Topper Headon to undergo drug rehabilitation treatment. Group Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend, born in November 1914, was a Royal Air Force officer. [22] Townshend left the Confederates after getting into a fight with the group's drummer, Chris Sherwin, and purchased a "reasonably good Czechoslovakian guitar" at his mother's antique shop. These instruments include a few vintage and reissue Rickenbackers, the Gretsch 6120, an original 1952 Fender Telecaster,[127] Gibson Custom Shop's artist limited edition reissues of Townshend's Les Paul DeLuxe models 1, 3 and 9 as well his signature SG Special reissue. Date Of Birth. Townshend has also attributed the start of his hearing loss to Keith Moon's famous exploding drum set during the Who's 1967 appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The same computer systems work wonderfully well on stage, proving to be perfect for me when the Who performed at the Super Bowl and doing Quadrophenia for TCT at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010. The second child of King George VI and the Queen Mother, and the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret first fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend at just 17 years old. . Following this success, Townshend produced their sole album, Hollywood Dream. It featured introspective songs, often with a negative slant. I have computer systems in my studio that have helped me do my engineering work on the forthcoming Quadrophenia release. . [citation needed]. This is the only Synclavier 3200 system of this specification in existence, custom-designed and built for Townshend by Steve Hills. [68] NME reviewer Charles Shaar Murray called it "prime cut Who" and "the most rewarding musical experience of the year. I first became introduced to the work of Robert Townsend unceremoniously when his family sitcom, The Parent 'Hood, premiered on The WB network in 1995. [44], To capitalise on their recent single success, the Who's debut album My Generation (The Who Sings My Generation in the US) was released in late 1965, containing original material written by Townshend and several James Brown covers that Daltrey favoured. Margaret first met Tony, a.k.a. The run featured 250 guitars which were made between July 1987 March 1988, and according to Rickenbacker CEO John Hall, the entire run sold out before serious advertising could be done. He has always regarded his instruments as being merely tools of the trade[126] and has, in latter years, kept his most prized instruments well away from the concert stage. [citation needed]. [34] Townshend's roommate Richard Barnes came up with "The Who", and Daltrey decided it was the best choice. He told Rolling Stone, "If my hearing is going to be a problem, we're not delaying shows. [50], The Who commenced their first US tour on 22 March 1967. [70] On 14 April 1974, Townshend played his first solo concert, a benefit to raise funds for a London community centre. Dr. Peter Townsend, 85, died Monday at University Hospital. While the Who were playing, Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman jumped the stage to complain about the arrest of John Sinclair. Princess Margaret is thought to have fallen in love with Peter Townsend, an equerry to her father, King George VI, shortly after the death of the monarch. [48] In their stage shows, Townshend developed a guitar stunt in which he would swing his right arm against the guitar strings in a style reminiscent of the vanes of a windmill. He currently owns three systems, one large Synclavier 9600 Tapeless Studio system, originally installed in his riverside Oceanic Studio, later transferred to a seagoing barge moored alongside the studio on the River Thames, and currently based in his home studio. [152] In 1961 while in art school, Townshend joined the Young Communist League and was a prominent figure in their 1966 "Trend" recruitment campaign. Elizabeth Rogers . In Love With Meher Baba described Townshend's spiritual leanings. He was a family practice physician in Syracuse his entire career; he was also a lifetime member of Temple Adath Yeshurun. Before long, the two struck up . He collaborated with the Faces' bassist and fellow Meher Baba devotee Ronnie Lane on a duet album (1977's Rough Mix). [112] He was also strongly influenced by cellist Malcolm Cecil, who often damaged his cello during performances, along with Gustav Metzger, pioneer of auto-destructive art. [149], In 1989, Townshend gave the initial funding to allow the formation of the non-profit hearing advocacy group H.E.A.R. (1955) May 25, 2017 - WOMAN Group Captain Peter Townsend MARRIED INSTEAD OF PRINCESS MARGARET. In support of Tommy, the Who launched a tour that included a memorable appearance at the Woodstock Festival on 17 August. In 2005, Townshend performed at New York's Gotham Hall for Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope, an annual children's charity fundraiser. Townshend offered very economical (reportedly 1 per night) lodging for American followers who needed an overnight stay on their pilgrimages to India. on Mar 3, 2023. crown family aspen home; feroz khan farm house bangalore; Community. An equerry, Townsend worked as an aide to the king.. Married with two young boys, 29-year-old Townsend grew close to the family through the years, including George's two daughters Elizabeth and . The Who's Pete Townshend has said his child abuse pics arrest saved his life as it led him to discover he had bowel cancer. [11], Townshend says he did not have many friends growing up, so he spent much of his boyhood reading adventure novels like Gulliver's Travels and Treasure Island. The album was subsequently titled A Quick One[47] and reached No. Townshend performed at a 1995 benefit organised by Paul Simon at Madison Square Garden's Paramount Theatre for the Children's Health Fund. Their first recording was the single "Something in the Air", which became a number one hit in the UK and a substantial hit elsewhere in the world. Instead of throwing the smashed parts away, Townshend reassembled the pieces as a sculpture. [65], Townshend began writing songs for another rock opera in 1973. He didn't get into twiddling with the dials on the amplifier until much later. Immediate Family: Son of Henry Townsend IV and Elizabeth Titus. Peter Dennis Townshend ( / tanznd /; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is voiced by Christopher Meloni, who also played John Taylor in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Nick Sax in Happy!, and Chris Keller in Oz. Pete Townshend, The Who's guitarist and principal songwriter, was born into a musical family in Chiswick, West London, on May 19, 1945. He died late Monday at his home 30 miles from Paris where he lived with his wife, Marie . Find your friends on Facebook. However, after the news broke out . [10] His neighbourhood was one-third Polish, and a devout Jewish family upstairs shared their housing with them and cooking with themmany of his father's closest friends were Jewish. He has since been in a romantic relationship with arranger and musician Rachel Fuller, whom he secretly married in 2016.