Mick Rock, the photographer who took iconic images of stars like David Bowie and Queen, has died at the age of 72.
British photographer Mick Rock poses for a photograph during his 2016 exhibition "Life on Mars", on David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust years, at the "Le Multiple" exhibition hall in Toulouse. Photo: AFP or licensors
Once dubbed "the man who shot the 70s", Rock also worked with the likes of Iggy Pop, Blondie and Lou Reed.
A statement on his Twitter page read: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share our beloved psychedelic renegade Mick Rock has made the Jungian journey to the other side."
Sharon Osbourne paid tribute, saying his work would "live on forever".
She added: "We lost a legend, a true artist Mick Rock."
'A photographic poet'
Her husband Ozzy Osbourne was among the other stars who Rock captured, along with Pink Floyd and their former singer Syd Barrett, T-Rex's Marc Bolan and the Sex Pistols.
Mick Rock's iconic photo of Lou Reed was the cover of his album 'Transformer.' Photo: AFP / Getty
Rock's famous album covers included a shot of Queen with their faces lit up against a black background for Queen II; the stark black-and-white photo for Reed's Transformer; and a shirtless Iggy Pop for The Stooges' Raw Power.
The statement continued: "Those who had the pleasure of existing in his orbit know that Mick was always so much more than 'The Man Who Shot the 70s'.
"He was a photographic poet - a true force of nature who spent his days doing exactly what he loved, always in his own delightfully outrageous way."
It noted how "the stars seemed to effortlessly align for Mick when he was behind the camera", describing him as "a man fascinated with image", who created "some of the most magnificent images rock music has ever seen".
'One of a kind'
Bowie's former bandmate Mike Garson said he was "so sad" to hear of Rock's death, writing: "He was one of a kind with such an eye for aesthetics and seizing the right moments.
Photographer Mick Rock attends the TASCHEN Gallery opening reception for "Mick Rock: Shooting For Stardust - The Rise Of David Bowie & Co." at TASCHEN Gallery on September 9, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: AFP / Getty
"He was also quite fun to travel with back in the days of the Spiders [From Mars]. Mick gave so much to this planet and he adored David. Mick's journey shall continue."
As well as being Bowie's official photographer, he also directed videos for Jean Genie and Space Oddity.
He went on to work with modern artists like Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Rock was born in London in 1948 and studied at Cambridge University, where he started to take photographs of local gigs and made contacts including Cambridge native Barrett and Mick Jagger's younger brother Chris.
His own life was caught on camera in Barnaby Clay's 2016 film Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock, which Rock dedicated to "the timeless genius of David Bowie and Lou Reed".
RIP to photographer Mick Rock. Even if you didn't know his name (you should know his name!) you definitely knew his iconic work pic.twitter.com/ZWhZZqjsUU
— Clayton Cubitt (@claytoncubitt) November 19, 2021
"They made an important contribution to the development of my own sensibility," he told Rolling Stone in 2017.
"When I was having trouble, they both helped me out financially. They bought my prints. When I was in the hospital for my heart bypass surgery, the first flowers that were there waiting for me were from Lou and David."
Paying tribute, Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess said Rock "made music look so exciting".
Music journalist Simon Price wrote: "'Iconic' is an overused word, but Mick Rock's photos are that."
The cause of his death has not yet been announced.
- BBC
