Malcolm McLaren: 'Without Malcolm there would be no punk'

• McLaren had a varied career spanning four decades. Picture: PA

His spokesman, Les Molloy, said the 64-year-old pop impresario had been suffering from cancer for some time, but his condition suddenly deteriorated yesterday morning.

It is understood McLaren had been in Switzerland receiving treatment for his condition.

Mr Malloy said: "Malcolm's iconic status is second to none. I think he was one of the ten most important figures in the world of music, art and fashion, and without him none of what we have had in the last 30 years, or now, would have been the same."

McLaren's partner, Yung Kim, said: "Malcolm McLaren was a man who changed the world and is a lasting influence."

Last night, despite an acrimonious relationship and a court battle over royalties, the Sex Pistols' singer John Lydon said he would miss McLaren.

In a statement signed "Johnny Rotten" – the stage name he used while in the band – he said: "For me Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. Above all else he was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you."

McLaren – ex-partner of designer Vivienne Westwood, who was celebrating her 69th birthday yesterday – was believed to have been diagnosed with the cancer mesothelioma some time ago.

Though best known for managing the Sex Pistols during the mid-1970s, McLaren's impact and involvement in pop culture stretched over four decades.

Music journalist Jon Savage, who wrote England's Dreaming, the award-winning history of the Sex Pistols and punk, paid tribute to his influence: "Without Malcolm McLaren there would not have been any British punk. He's one of the rare individuals who had a huge impact on the cultural and social life of this nation."

McLaren's initial foray into pop culture was through Let It Rock, a clothes shop he set up with Westwood on the King's Road in London, which specialised in retro-1950s rock 'n' roll clothes. It would later be renamed SEX, specialising in fetish gear, as well as Westwood's designs. The shop became an enduring icon of the punk movement.

Last night, Westwood spoke of her affection for McLaren: "I thought he is a very charismatic, special and talented person. The thought of him dead is really something very sad. We hadn't been in touch for a long time."

The couple's son, Joseph Corre, who co-founded the lingerie brand Agent Provocateur, said: "He was the original punk rocker and revolutionised the world. He's somebody I'm incredibly proud of. He's a real beacon of man for people to look up to."

Musician Jah Wobble, the original bass player in Lydon's post-Pistols band, Public Image Ltd, said of him: "He was a likeable rogue.

"The fact that he wasn't actually a very good businessman made it more fun."

McLaren pursued a prolific, wide-ranging career, post-Sex Pistols, releasing a series of genre-straddling albums.

As if to underline a career characterised by resilience and resurgence, last night, McLaren's website page bore the legend: "Malcolm will return shortly".

Failure, fashion and flare – Malcolm on…

Rock 'n' roll:

"It doesn't necessarily mean a band. It doesn't mean a singer, and it doesn't mean a lyric, really. It's that question of trying to be immortal."

His career:

"Stealing things is a glorious occupation, particularly in the art world."

Culture:

"It has become something that is completely and utterly in love with its parent. It's become a notion of boredom that is bought and sold, where nothing will happen except that people will become more and more terrified of tomorrow, because the new continues to look old, and the old will always look cute."

Starting out:

"I opened my first store with the sole purpose of smashing the English culture of deception. My intention was to fail in business, but to fail as brilliantly as possible. Only if I failed in a truly fabulous fashion would I ever have the chance of succeeding."

Punk:

"… Became the most important cultural phenomenon of the late 20th century. Its authenticity stands out against the karaoke ersatz culture of today, where everything and everyone is for sale. Punk's influence on music, movies, art, design and fashion is no longer in doubt. It is used as the measurement for what is cool. And we all know you cannot sell anything today if it is not cool. The only problem is that punk is not, and never was, for sale."

John Lydon on McLaren:

"Let's just say that if Malcolm breathes, it's too much for me to stomach."

"It was not an intellectual movement orchestrated by Malcolm McLaren. We didn't set out to be seen as some great, culturally significant force."