NEW Romantic icon Steve Strange has died of a heart attack in Egypt at the age of 55, his record label said.

The Newbridge-born pop singer found fame in the 1980s as frontman for Visage whose best known hit was Fade To Grey.

Marc Green, label manager at August Day Recordings, said: "We are extremely saddened to announce that Steve Strange died at 11.15 local time on Thursday February 12 in Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital, Egypt.

"Steve died in his sleep of heart failure. Steve's family, band members and friends are all distraught at this sudden news of his untimely death. Steve's family request privacy at this extremely difficult time."

Strange also managed the Blitz Club in Soho, central London.

Pete Bassett, the singer’s agent paid tribute to the singer, calling him "lovable" and "hardworking".

"He will be remembered as a hard-working, very amusing and lovable individual who always was at the forefront of fashion trends.

"Up until last year he was putting together a book of fashion styles based on the New Romantic movement and it comes as a great shock.

"We understood that he had certain health problems but nothing we knew was life threatening.

"His friends and family are totally shocked, we had no idea anything like this was likely to happen."

Tributes are coming in on Twitter, with Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon tweeting: "I'm very sad to announce that our friend Steve Strange has died in Egypt today. He was the leading edge of New Romantic. God Bless him."

Billy Idol wrote: "Very sad to hear of my friend Steve Strange passing, RIP mate."

South Wales East AM Jocelyn Davies, from Newbridge, tweeted tonight: " Heart broken to learn of the sad death of Steve Strange. He's been taking my breath away since I was 14."

Steve John Harrington was inspired by The Sex Pistols - whom he saw at their infamous picketed gig in Caerphilly Town Hall - to move to London.

The teenager was spotted by Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren working in a nightclub cloakroom, and went on to become Steve Strange, and star in New Romantic band Visage with Rusty Egan.