The stone, bearing the epitaph "Love Will Tear Us Apart"—the title of the band's most famous song—was taken from Macclesfield Crematorium, police said.

Fans from all over the world would travel to the site to pay their respects, often leaving messages and tokens behind.

A married man, Curtis committed suicide in 1980 at the age of 23, shortly before the band, an inspiration for many other groups and musicians, were due to begin a U.S. tour.

He had struggled to deal with the demands of combining home life and being in the band, the strain of epilepsy and falling in love with another woman. His personal troubles were often reflected in dark, painful lyrics, which he wrote.

"I'm shocked this has happened," said Bill North of Macclesfield Borough Council. "Someone's gone to a great deal of trouble to remove the memorial stone and I hope our appeal will help return it as soon as possible."

Curtis's widow Debbie had been informed, the council said.

"This is a very unusual theft and I am confident that someone locally will have knowledge about who is responsible or where the memorial stone is at present," said police Inspector Gareth Woods.