Farewell, Poly Styrene

Awful news: first lady of punk Poly Styrene died yesterday after a bout with cancer. Born Marianne Elliot-Said, she became a punk pioneer after changing her name and fronting the abrasive, exciting X-Ray Spex. Led by Styrene's shuddering voice, the band recorded their sole album, Germ Free Adolescents (1978), one of the greatest products of punk's first wave. With her braces and splashy thrift-store fashions, Styrene was also a major style icon. She was 53.