Mick Rock: legendary photographer dies, aged 72

19 November 2021, 11:45 | Updated: 19 November 2021, 12:11

The iconic photographer, who captured the likes of David Bowie and Queen, has sadly passed away.

Mick Rock, the iconic music photographer of the 70s and beyond, has died at age 72.

The legendary photographer was known for capturing everyone from David Bowie to Queen, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Kate Moss, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Joan Jett T.Rex and much more.

An official statement on his Twitter read: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share are beloved psychedelic renegade Mick Rock has made the Jungian journey to the other side.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".

It continued: "Let us not mourn the loss, but instead celebrate the fabulous life and extraordinary career of Michael David Rock.

"While you do so in your own way, we must ask that the privacy of his family be respected at this time. Therefore, there will be no further comments."

Rock was born in Hammersmith in 1948 and studied Medieval and Modern languages at Gonville and Caius college in Cambridge, where he graduated with a degree in the subject.

During his university years, he developed an interest in photography, shooting former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett. However it was the blossoming world of glam rock that established the photographer and yielded some of his most iconic images.

Rock shot the covers for Lou Reed's Transformer and The Stooges' Raw Power albums at the Scala Cinema in Kings Cross in 1972 and his collaborations with David Bowie included the promotional films for Space Oddity, Life On Mars and The Jean Genie.

Rock also took the iconic photo for the cover of Queen's second album (titled Queen II, natural), and the pose of the four members in a diamond formation was later replicated for the classic Bohemian Rhapsody video.

In later years, Rock photographed artists as diverse as The Killers, Daft Punk, Kate Moss and Alicia Keys.

He lived on New York's Staten Island with his wife Pati and daughter Nathalie.