Astrid Kirchherr, the rock photographer who documented some of the earliest days of The Beatles, has passed away at 81 as revealed by Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn on Twitter.
She was an undeniable presence as portrayed in the movie Backbeat and in real life via the George Harrison documentary Living In The Material World.
Danke schön, Astrid Kirchherr. Intelligent, inspirational, innovative, daring, artistic, awake, aware, beautiful, smart, loving and uplifting friend to many. Her gift to the Beatles was immeasurable. She died in Hamburg on Wednesday, a few days before turning 82. RIP. pic.twitter.com/c8UHNK1tj4
— Mark Lewisohn (@marklewisohn) May 15, 2020
No cause of death has been revealed except that it was a short, serious illness.
Astrid Kirchherr, the German-born photographer who first captured the Beatles, has died at the age of 81 https://t.co/dSoEKMUFbn pic.twitter.com/kvv4wp7PPs
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 15, 2020
Many of the early black and white photos Astrid Kirchherr took of The Beatles are an integral part of the collective photographic memory of the band, and the 1960s as a whole. She died on Wednesday at the age of 81. https://t.co/OPh5FL1i9w
— NPR Music (@nprmusic) May 16, 2020
Paul McCartney has shared his remembrance of Kircherr in a thread on Twitter:
Very sad news this week about Astrid Kirchherr. Astrid was a dear friend from my Hamburg days with The Beatles. Another friend, Klaus Voormann, told me she had passed away and this brought back memories of our days in the clubs in Hamburg. pic.twitter.com/d2mkWQI37X
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 21, 2020
