Mark E Smith 'fought hard' against lung and kidney cancer

The sisters of The Fall singer Mark E Smith have said he "fought a long and hard battle" after being diagnosed with terminal lung and kidney cancer.

Barbara, Suzanne and Caroline confirmed his death on 24 January came following his cancer diagnosis.

"He took every treatment going, which could be brutal at times and left Mark with some horrible side effects," the statement on the band's website read.

"Mark was such a strong man and hated letting his fans down," the trio added.

"[He] tried to carry on regardless against all advice.

"Mark had a great life and loved and lived it to the full and always by his own rules and we, as his sisters, were privileged to be part of it, too.

"Mark is at peace now and pain free, but we, his three sisters, have been left heartbroken and will miss our big brother very much."

They also thanked family, friends and fans for their "kind words, condolences and memories" and paid tribute to "the NHS and staff who treated Mark throughout and Mark's partner Pam who loved, cared and cherished our brother".

Smith, who famously hired and fired more than 60 bandmates for his post-punk outfit, died at home.

Championed by BBC Radio 1's John Peel, The Fall had 27 songs in the top 100 of the UK singles chart between 1984 and 2004.

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