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Pink Floyd album designer Storm Thorgerson dies | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Storm Thorgerson, whose album cover artwork includes Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, has died aged 70, the band's management has confirmed. | |
A childhood friend of the founding members of the band, he became their designer-in-chief, fashioning a string of eye-catching creations. | A childhood friend of the founding members of the band, he became their designer-in-chief, fashioning a string of eye-catching creations. |
Most-famously he designed the prism spreading a spectrum of colour across The Dark Side Of The Moon. | Most-famously he designed the prism spreading a spectrum of colour across The Dark Side Of The Moon. |
His credits also include albums by Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Muse. | His credits also include albums by Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Muse. |
His family released a statement saying he died peacefully on Thursday surrounded by family and friends. | |
"He had been ill for some time with cancer though he had made a remarkable recovery from his stroke in 2003," it said. | |
"He is survived by his mother Vanji, his son Bill, his wife Barbie Antonis and her two children Adam and Georgia." | |
Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist Dave Gilmour released a statement in which he said the artworks Thorgerson created for the band had been "an inseparable part of our work". | |
He said: "We first met in our early teens. We would gather at Sheep's Green, a spot by the river in Cambridge and Storm would always be there holding forth, making the most noise, bursting with ideas and enthusiasm. Nothing has ever really changed. | |
"He has been a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on and a great friend. I will miss him." | |
'Simple idea' | |
A statement on the Pink Floyd.com official site said: "We are saddened by the news that long-time Pink Floyd graphic genius, friend and collaborator, Storm Thorgerson, has died. | A statement on the Pink Floyd.com official site said: "We are saddened by the news that long-time Pink Floyd graphic genius, friend and collaborator, Storm Thorgerson, has died. |
"Our thoughts are with his family and many friends." | "Our thoughts are with his family and many friends." |
Thorgerson began his career with UK design group Hipgnosis, founded in the late 1960s and his distinctive style made him one of the industry's most recognisable artists. | |
There was the mournful-looking cow on the front of Atom Heart Mother, the burning businessman on the sleeve of Wish You Were Here, the giant pig flying over Battersea Power Station and - most famously of all - the prism spreading a spectrum of colour across The Dark Side Of The Moon. | |
He told the BBC in 2009: "It's a nice but simple idea. Refracting light through a prism is a common feature in nature, as in a rainbow. I would like to claim it, but unfortunately it's not mine!" | |
The idea was sparked by Pink Floyd's keyboard player, the late Richard Wright, he explained. | |
"He said, somewhat provocatively, 'Let's not have one of your photos, we've had your photos before. Can't we have a change? A cool graphic - something smart, tidy, elegant.'" |