Lord Byron's racy life of bling, booze and groupie sex revealed

London, Aug 15 : Besides being a great poet, Lord Byron had the status of being the original "rock 'n roll" celebrity, courtesy his racy lifestyle, palatial homes, and groupie sex, his female fan mail has revealed.

The dashing aristocrat's passions included brandy and bling - and bedding hundreds of lust-crazed groupies.

Byron is known for luring women with his verse and was famously described by a lover as "mad, bad and dangerous to know".

And now, unforeseen letters have emerged which prove the legendary poet's huge female fan following, what with every letter having daring sexual undertones for the times. The newly published Byron fan mail is kept at the National Library of Scotland's John Murray Archive.

"I imagine that if Lord Byron was alive today he would be a rock star," The Sun quoted David McClay, curator of the library, as saying.

He added: "He was probably the first celebrity known across Europe as well as Britain. He got lots of fan mail from women desperate to meet him. Some were essentially stalkers."

McClay revealed that Byron raked up huge bills on booze and bling, saying: "We have bills and receipts for large sums spent on brandy, wine, ale and meals. He also spent heavily on jewellery, cosmetics and tooth-cleaning powder.

"He spent extravagantly on items such as brooches, belt buckles and even a gold tooth pick. His bills for clothing were immense."

Though, Byron died at the young age of 36, he claimed to have bedded 200 women in two years in Venice alone.

The poet is also known for his bisexual interest and even had an affair with a teenage Greek boy, Nicolo Giraud.

Byron certainly believed in living life king size, what with his palatial homes including Newstead Abbey, Notts, and Swiss summer residence Villa Diodati, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

ANI