Flamboyant Brit Malcolm McLaren Felled by Asbestos Mesothelioma

LONDONHe was the flamboyant one-time manager of the notorious Sex Pistols and he is credited with bringing rap to the UK. Known for his outlandish outfits and ideas, Malcolm McLaren was anything but ordinary. But in the end, a disease that has felled hundreds of ordinary people also claimed the life of McLaren: asbestos mesothelioma.

McLaren's partner of 12 years, Young Kim, told the Independent that McLaren likely exposed himself to asbestos back in the 1970s when he was remodeling his renowned clothing shop on King's Road in London. Infamously known as "Sex," the facility that spawned British punk was destined for a look only a character like Malcolm McLaren could envision.

He wanted the interior to look "like a bomb had hit it," explained Kim, as reported by the 4/11/10 edition of the UK Telegraph. Capturing that "demolished" look required McLaren to rip down the ceiling. In the process he accidently demolished some asbestos sheeting, exposing him to dangerous asbestos fibers during the renovation and for many years after.

"I always suspected that shop because it was the only place Malcolm ever really spent any serious length of time in, and there was a lot of construction and changing things," Kim told the Independent. "Then Ben Westwood said his mother had mentioned that she'd seen asbestos there. It was board asbestos and it was in the early 70s so there was a lot of it left, and I don't think anyone really did anything about it."

McLaren's partner at the time was Dame Vivienne Westwood.

It was reported that doctors had spotted spots on his lungs two years ago but dismissed them as benign. McLaren was reportedly convinced that he was suffering from some kind of cancer, but his doctors told him he was fine. That all changed when his left lung filled with fluid, and McLaren was finally and properly diagnosed with asbestos mesothelioma a year ago.

"Malcolm was very angry about it," Kim told the Independent. "He was angry at me for having not pushed the doctor further. He really blamed me for not believing him. Whether that would have changed things or not I don't know, but he had a point."

McLaren died on April 7 in a Swiss clinic at the age of 64.

Kim is now considering making a formal complaint against the doctor who treated him.
"[The doctor's] attitude was really inexcusable. I think if you're doing a routine scan for other reasons and you notice it, you should pick up on it instead of ignore it and be very nihilistic about it. It's not your life to be nihilistic with."

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer usually brought on by exposure to asbestos. It is not uncommon for the condition to lay dormant within the body for several decades before suddenly emerging. There is no known cure.