Marc Bolan, of glam-rock band T-Rex, died here in Barnes, London, on the 16th of September 1977. The car, driven by his girlfriend Gloria Jones (who was the first to record the song Tainted Love in 1964), hit a sycamore tree on Queen’s Ride.
The site has become a place of pilgrimage to Bolan’s fans after since. To mark the 20th anniversary of his death, the Performing Right Society installed a memorial stone, facing into Gipsy Lane at the base of the Bolan Tree. In 1999 the T-Rex Action Group (TAG) was formed and granted an in-perpetuity lease on the site and in 2002, 25 years after the accident, its founder Fee Warner paid for a bronze bust of Bolan, made by Canadian sculptor Jean Robillard.
In 2005, eventually, memorial plaques were fitted to the steps to remember other members of T-Rex who had also died (Steve Peregrin Took, Steve Currie, Mickey Finn and Dino Dines) and Marc’s wife June Bolan (née Child), as recognition for her contribution to his success.
10 Gipsy Ln, Barnes, SW15 5RG
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