Karen Townshend
Karen Sheila Townshend (née Astley; born 12 June 1947) is a British fashion designer and the former wife of the Who's Pete Townshend.
Biography[edit]
Astley was born on 12 June 1947 to Edwin Astley (1922–98) and Hazel Balbirnie in Grappenhall, Cheshire. Edwin was a television writer and composer, known for his work on The Saint and The Danger Man. By coincidence, he had often opened for Townshend's father Cliff's band, The Squadronaires.[1] Karen is the eldest daughter and has four siblings: Jon, Gareth, Alison and Virginia.
In the 1960s Astley was educated at Ealing Art College where she studied dress design (textiles).[2] There she met musician and songwriter Pete Townshend who later joined the British band the Who.[1] Astley owned a small boutique named "Hem & Fringe" with two college friends, Angela Brown and Annie Dupeè.
On 20 May 1968, aged 20, Astley married Townshend at Didcot Registry Office.[2] Their first daughter, Emma, was born on 28 March 1969,[3] followed by Aminta on 24 April 1971[4] and Joseph in 1989. In 1994, the couple split and finally divorced in 2009.[5]
In August 2012 Astley campaigned for Helston, Cornwall's former community centre, to remain open, and now owns a stake in the property.[6]
Astley's brother Jon has collaborated with Pete Townshend and the Who on several occasions since the 1970s.[7][8] Her father has also worked with Townshend.[9]
References[edit]
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Marsh 1983, p. 54.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Neill & Kent 2002, p. 203.
- ↑ Neill & Kent 2002, p. 229.
- ↑ Neill & Kent 2002, p. 281.
- ↑ "See me, feel me". 5 October 2012.
- ↑ "Helston community centre has new owners at last". Falmouth Packet. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ Marsh 1983, p. 488.
- ↑ "Jon Astley". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ Wilkerson, Mark (2009-10-28). Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend. ISBN 9780857120083. Search this book on
Sources
- Marsh, Dave (1983). Before I Get Old: The Story of The Who. Plexus. ISBN 978-0-85965-083-0. Search this book on
- Neill, Andrew; Kent, Matthew (2002). Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of The Who 1958–1978. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7535-1217-3. Search this book on
This article "Karen Townshend" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Karen Townshend. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
