'I want her to get married again': Peter Stringfellow's heart-rending hope for his 'beautiful' third wife, 36, two years before his death aged 77 as it emerges he secretly battled cancer for a year
- The flamboyant businessman, 77, wanted to keep his illness private until his death from cancer this morning
- Known as the King of Clubs he had venues in London, Paris, New York, Miami and LA in his 60-year career
- Stringfellow fought for his dancers to be completely naked and admitted bedding 2,000 women in his life
- After leaving school at 13 and a spell in jail he set up a club in Sheffield where the Beatles played in the 1960s
- He leaves behind his wife, Bella and children, Karen, 55, Scott, 52, Rosabella, five and Angelo, three
- Life-long lothario said Bella was the 'love of his life' and the first woman he had never cheated on
- Businessman was left with just one nightclub - his eponymous Covent Garden club - which will remain open
Peter Stringfellow urged his 36-year-old third wife to 'marry again when I've gone' just before starting a year-long battle with cancer kept secret until he died today aged 77, MailOnline can reveal.
The 'King of Clubs' told 'beautiful' Bella Stringfellow to move on and encouraged her to choose a man who will love her and their children Rosabella, five, and Angelo, three.
The extraordinary plea came just before he was diagnosed with cancer for the second time in his life having beaten the disease after a seven-year fight where he lost half a lung.
The thrice-married businessman, who has four children aged between three and 55, was world famous for his clubs, his army of celebrity friends, his flamboyant clothes and mane of hair as well as the 2,000-plus women he bedded.
Announcing his death his publicist Matt Glass said today: '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.'
Mr Stringfellow, who never smoked in his life, revealed in 2015 he had beaten lung cancer. But MailOnline understands he developed cancer again in another part of his body just before his 77th birthday last October.
Before the disease struck him again he insisted Bella - 41 years his junior - must marry again when he died and said in 2016: 'She's still going to be a beautiful young woman when I've gone and she is smart enough to make sure whoever she chooses will fit in with her and the children'.
Last year he told MailOnline that Bella was the first woman he had never cheated on and spoke openly and proudly about their active sex life as he approached his 80s - and his refusal to have a vasectomy in case they wanted more babies.
Peter Stringfellow told his third wife Bella, 36, to marry again when he died. MailOnline understand he was diagnosed with cancer just before his 77th birthday (pictured with his wife and their two children Rosabella, five, and Angelo, three)
Peter married former Royal Ballet star Bella in 2009 (pictured together in 2005) - his third marriage - and told MailOnline she is the only woman he never cheated on
His daughter Karen, 55, and her half brother Scott, 52, posted photos of themselves together with their father and covered the images with hearts today
Mr Stringfellow's eldest daughter Karen said today she and the family are 'heartbroken and devastated'
Peter Stringfellow raises a glass of Champagne with a group of women at his legendary 'Stingfellows' club in 1994
Peter Stringfellow died today aged 77 and his eldest daughter said she is 'heartbroken and devastated' in a moving tribute to her late father.
Mr Stringfellow, who was last seen in public five months ago, had demanded to keep his battle with cancer secret and announcing his death in the early hours of this morning.
The Sheffield-born entrepreneur, said to be worth £37million, is survived by his third wife Bella, 36, a former Royal Ballet dancer he married in Barbados in 2009 when she was aged 27 and he was 68. They have two children - Rosabella, five, and Angelo, three.
Today his eldest daughter Karen, 55, from his five-year marriage to first wife Norma Williams, posted a family photo of her with her famous father with the caption 'Heartbroken & devastated'.
Her half-brother Scott, 52, born to his second wife Coral White, who were together for 27 years, did the same and covered the father and son image with hearts.
He has two other children Karen, 55, from his five-year marriage to Norma Williams and Scott, 52, from his 27-year marriage to Coral White.
Friends including James Whale said he had 'grown old disgracefully' and 'lived life to the full' while tributes also poured in on social media with some saying '[ST]RIP Peter Stringfellow' - a nod to his extraordinary and salacious life.
Peter left school at 13 and had a spell in jail before opening clubs in Paris, New York, Miami, Beverly Hills and his eponymous venue in Covent Garden, which will still stay open under his name.
Famously he became the first person in Britain to win a fully nude licence for 'Stringfellows' after he successfully argued his dancers shouldn't have to wear a G-string thong.
He was most famous for his live of beautiful women and when asked how he managed to have 2,000 lovers he said: 'I've been around a long time, man. Just by the sheer weight of years you're going to have a bunch of girls in your background'.
Asked why he was so successful he added: 'I am wonderful, with a perfect physique, very charming, rich and look like Jude Law'.
Peter Stringfellow (left, with his third wife Bella and children Rosabella and Angelo in 2017) and (right, with Bella in 2009) has died at the age of 77 after a secret battle with cancer
Peter Stringfellow at the Bacardi London Club and Bar Awards at the London Hilton Hotel in 2001
Peter Stringfellow on the opening night of the Hippodrome Nightclub, Leicester Square, London in 1983 (left). Pictured (right) is the King of Clubs in January this year - the last time he was seen in public
Tributes also poured in on social media with some saying '[ST]RIP Peter Stringfellow' - a nod to his extraordinary and salacious life
Mr Stringfellow had been a lifelong Conservative voter and donor who could call on politicians including Margaret Thatcher to support charity events at his clubs.
But he quit the party after the EU referendum and campaigned against leaving the EU.
There have been a huge number of tributes to the club boss.
Lizzie Cundy said: 'Peter loved girls, his clubs were amazing, they really were the places to go and be seen in. He gave models membership and all the girls got in free.
'He would always have big stars. I remember going in there one night and Prince was right there. He said wait until I give the nod and you can come over and meet him.
'All the stars wanted to be there. I remember him telling me this really funny story that Professor Stephen Hawking was in the club, he just wanted to see the girls.
'He made the club so fun because he was such a wonderful. One of the most, warm, kind, generous people.
'He always turned up for charity events, he was so supportive. I remember he was ill but he promised he would be there and he did.'
The Sheffield-born star left school at 13 and after a spell in prison for stealing and selling carpets went on to become the world's most famous nightclub owner.
The Beatles played a big part in his success because they played his first club in a sell out gig in the 1960s. The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix then followed.
He leaves behind his wife, Bella and four children, Karen, Scott, Rosabella and Angelo.
Three years ago, he revealed how he secretly fought lung cancer in 2008 and was only diagnosed after a mistake by his doctors.
The club owner said he only had the check because he was mistakenly booked in for a full body scan at the doctors.
Stringfellow married his third wife Bella, a former Royal Ballet dancer, in Barbados in 2009 - when she was aged 27.
He was previously married to first wife Norma Williams and the pair became parents to their daughter, Karen.
The nightclub owner also had a son, Scott, with his second wife Coral Wright.
Stringfellow married his wife Bella (pictured together in 2007), a former Royal Ballet dancer, in Barbados in 2009 - when she was aged 27
His outlandish outfits and love of sex made him millions and he even launched his own lingerie range on the back of his reputation
Mr Stringfellow, pictured inside his club Angels in Soho in 2010, was known as the King of Clubs after an extraordinary career. His last TV appearance came in September last year where he looked more frail and drawn (right) when he was probably secretly ill
Nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow with some of the women he was auditioning for a tableside dancing club, Cabaret of Angels, in June 1996
Peter Stringfellow pictured with a group of women at the Southampton International Boat Show in 1997
Fashion Show at Stringfellow's Nightclub with Lee Major, Kenny Lynch ,Peter Stringfellow & Bruce Forsyth in June 1982
Stevie Wonder & Marvin Gaye talk to Peter Stringfellow at Stringfellow's Night Club where they performed a late night Set finishing at 5am in June 1981
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.
In 1980 he opened Stringfellows in Covent Garden in London's West End and went on to create venues in Paris, New York, Miami, and Beverly Hills.
With its topless girls and exuberant after-hours entertainment, the Stringfellow brand became a byword for debauchery and sexual kicks that echoed of the empire created by late Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner.
Peter dated former page 3 model Helen Benoist before his third marriage and the former couple were involved in a number of outlandish stunts in the 1990s
Peter Stringfellow with the staff of the Hippodrome in the 1970s. 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
Peter Stringfellow's 60th birthday party at Stringfellow's in Covent Garden, with his then-girlfriend Lucy Carr (to his left) cutting a cake made to look like breasts
The mogul said his clubs had hosted A-listers including Prince, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones.
And it was not just celebrities who experienced Stringfellow's hospitality - Professor Stephen Hawking once joined him for dinner at one of the venues.
He recently closed the Peter Stringfellow's Angels Soho nightclub because the block was being redeveloped.
Accounts filed for Stringfellow Restaurants Ltd showed the firm was not immune to the impact of global events, even though demand for lapdancing clubs is relatively resilient.
It said the terrorist threat has deterred some visitors, though this was offset by the weakness of the pound, which has attracted foreign tourists to London.
Peter Stringfellow pictured with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at a Tory party fundraiser at his Covent Garden nightclub. He was a staunch supporter of the Conservatives and a party member until Brexit
Born in Sheffield in 1940, Stringfellow was the eldest of four boys who were brought up by the women in his family after the men went to war.
He served a brief prison sentence in 1962 for selling stolen carpets, a sharp lesson which he said put him on the straight and narrow.
In a 2012 article for The Guardian he attributed his entrepreneurial spirit to his 'feisty' mother.
He said sex was never a topic of conversation in the house, while his father declined an invitation to visit one of his establishments in his later years.
How a Sheffield steel worker's son born into poverty rose to worldwide fame and fortune when he booked a little-known band called The Beatles to play at his hometown club
Known as the King of Clubs, Peter Stringfellow will always be remembered for his flamboyant style and host of A-list celebrity friends.
However the entrepreneur's start in life was far from glamorous. Born in 1940, he was the eldest of four brothers and the son of a Sheffield steel worker.
An unremarkable student, he failed his 11 plus before leaving school entirely at the age of 15, becoming an assistant tie salesman at Austin Reed.
His first job only lasted three weeks, and he tried a number of careers including three days as a barber and half a day as a mechanic.
Peter Stringfellow presents the Beatles at the Azena Ballroom in Sheffield, with Paul McCartney on his left and John Lennon to his right
A poster from the night shows The Beatles with top billing at the Azena Ballroom, presented by Stringfellow Bros
Stringfellow went on to join the merchant navy aged 16 and travelled the world, visiting New York for the first time, before returning to Sheffield two years later.
He got a job at Dobson's Furnishings but was later convicted of selling stolen carpets and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, a sharp lesson which Stringfellow said put him on the straight and narrow.
Struggling to find work, Stringfellow began his first foray into nightclubs in 1962, renting St Aidan's Church Hall in Sheffield every Friday night.
Called the Black Cat Club, Stringfellow booked a string of upcoming stars such as Dave Berry and Johnny Tempest, proving his salts early as a music promoter.
His big break came a year later when he booked the Beatles, with the demand so great that he was forced to rent the larger Azena Ballroom in Sheffield.
Following his early success, Stringfellow was able to open another club called the King Mojo.
Nightclub owners Peter Stringfellow and Roger How pose for a photo in Manchester in 1978, a couple of years before Stringfellow would move his business to London for the first time
Artists who played at the club included Rod Stewart, Elton John, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder.
He opened his first proper nightclub in Sheffield in 1968, followed by his first super club Cinderella's in Leeds in 1970.
The Millionaire Club in Manchester followed, which he would sell to Granada Ltd in 1980, at which point he decided to move the family to London.
That year he opened Stringfellows in Covent Garden in London's West End and went on to create venues in Paris, New York, Miami, and Beverly Hills.
The Upper St Martin's Lane venue was an immediate hit, and became frequented by international film and rock stars and all manner of celebrities, as did his subsequent clubs in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
In the 1990s, Stringfellow introduced table dancing into his New York and Covent Garden clubs, before opening an adult entertainment club - Angels - in Soho in 2006.
In 1980, the promoter opened Stringfellows in Covent Garden in London's West End (pictured) and went on to create venues in Paris, New York, Miami, and Beverly Hills
Unlike his parents - who stayed married their whole lives - Stringfellow had an eventful love life which saw him wed three times.
In an interview in 2012, he said: 'The first time, I got married to the first girl I met when I left school, as that's what you did in those days.
'We had a daughter and I walked out when she was about two-and-a-half years old.
'The second marriage lasted 24 years, but my business came first and along with that came the opportunity to have other women, and I took full advantage.'
His five-year marriage to Norma Williams, whom he married in 1960, produced a daughter named Karen.
Son Scott resulted from his 1967 to 1989 marriage to Coral Wright.
Stringfellow enjoys a New Year's Party at his West End club in 1983, by which time his career as a promoter was rocketing
In 2009, the nightclub pioneer married 27-year-old former Royal Ballet dancer Bella Wright and the pair's two children Rosabella and Angelo were born when he was in his 70s.
Last year, he chose his London club as the venue for his children's naming ceremony.
In an interview with Hello! magazine, he said: 'We were offered Westminster Cathedral, but I said no.
'It would have felt hypocritical. None of that religious stuff sits well with me.
'And at the end of the day, Stringfellows is my heart and soul. This is where it all happens - it's even where I first met Bella.'
In 2015, the nightclub mogul revealed he had secretly fought lung cancer in 2008, telling only a handful of friends and family to avoid unwanted attention.
Stringfellow was also grandfather to Taylor, Jaime, Thomas and Isabelle.
Married three times and a grandfather four times over, Stringfellow is survived by his wife, Bella and four children, Karen, Scott, Rosabella and Angelo.
Dancing on the beach, playing in the pool and building a snowman: Peter Stringfellow's candid Instagram snaps reveal the family man behind the playboy image
Peter Stringfellow had an infamous reputation for being Britain's biggest playboy with close links to the world of adult entertainment.
But behind the scenes, the King of Clubs was a committed family man and doting father.
Photographs posted to his social media page reveal a milder and soft-hearted individual who loved nothing more than to spend time with his young children.
His youngest children, Rosabella, 4, and Angelo, 2, were born while he was in his 70s and images of the nightclub owner playing games with the youngsters litter his Instagram.
The nightclub owner is pictured dancing on the beach with his youngest daughter Rosabella during a family trip
In a joking post, Stringfellow speaks of building a snowman in the garden for his children and says he has 'left some nuts as a peace offering to the local head squirrel'
His wife Bella Wright, 36, mother to Rosabella and Angelo, also features prominently, with the foursome a picture of family happiness.
The classically-trained ballet dancer married Stringfellow in 2009 when she was 27, becoming his third and final wife.
His oldest child, Karen, is 54 years old and lives with her husband in Florida, while his son Scott, 52, is a racing driver and instructor.
Unlike his parents, who stayed married their whole lives, Stringfellow had an eventful love life which saw him wed three times.
Stringfellow's youngest child, two-year-old Angelo, poses for a photo with his father during a trip to the circus
Stringfellow poses for a photograph with his young son Angelo during a family trip to Orlando
In an interview in 2012, he said: 'The first time, I got married to the first girl I met when I left school, as that's what you did in those days.
'We had a daughter and I walked out when she was about two-and-a-half years old.
'The second marriage lasted 24 years, but my business came first and along with that came the opportunity to have other women, and I took full advantage.'
His five-year marriage to Norma Williams, whom he married in 1960, produced a daughter named Karen.
Son Scott resulted from his 1967 to 1989 marriage to Coral Wright.
Photographs posted to Stringfellow's social media page reveal a milder and soft-hearted individual who loved nothing more than to spend time with his young children
A photo taken during a family trip to the Adriatic coast in Italy shows Bella and Rosabella practicing their ballet moves
In 2009, the nightclub pioneer married 27-year-old former Royal Ballet dancer Bella Wright and the pair's two children Rosabella and Angelo were born when he was in his 70s.
Last year, he chose his London club as the venue for his children's naming ceremony.
In an interview with Hello! magazine, he said: 'We were offered Westminster Cathedral, but I said no.
'It would have felt hypocritical. None of that religious stuff sits well with me.
'And at the end of the day, Stringfellows is my heart and soul. This is where it all happens - it's even where I first met Bella.'
Stringfellow was also grandfather to Taylor, Jaime, Thomas and Isabelle.
He died following a battle with lung cancer at the age of 77.
Stringfellow's wife Bella hugs her two young children Angelo and Rosabella during a night of trick or treating in a photo shared by the nightclub owner
Stringfellow dresses up in a skirt after being ordered to do so by his young daughter Rosabella
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This guy lived 100 lives in one. Death of a legend...
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