Nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow has died at the age of 77 after a battle with cancer.
The businessman, who had wanted to keep his illness private, died in the early hours of Thursday morning after spending time in hospital, a spokesman said.
His publicist, Matt Glass, told the Press Association: "It's very sad news. He passed away in the early hours of this morning. It was kept very private, he didn't want to tell. He wanted to keep it a secret."
Stringfellow started in the nighttime trade in the early 1960s and recalled booking acts including The Beatles, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix to play at his clubs.
Mr Stringfellow and his brother, Geoffrey Stringfellow, moved to Manchester in 1976 and opened the Millionaire club.
The club, in the city centre, was renowned for its celebrity clientele, with Coronation Stars and footballers often seen at the venue.
There were no live bands in the club, but the Stringfellows hired popular DJs including Peter Tyler and Brett Sinclair.
He sold the club to Granada Ltd in 1980 and the family then moved to London.
In 1980 he opened Stringfellows in Covent Garden in London's West End and went on to create venues in Paris, New York, Miami, Beverly Hills.
His eponymous London club, on Upper St Martins Lane, is one of the capital’s longest-running nightlife venues after opening in 1980, and will continue to operate as normal.
Peter married wife Bella in 2009 and they welcomed their first child, daughter Rosabella, in August 2013.
In September 2015 they welcomed son Angelo.
Peter also has a son and daughter, Scott and Karen, from his previous marriages.
He was also grandfather to Taylor, Jaime, Thomas and Isabelle.
