Astrid Kirchherr, the photographer who took the first group photo of the iconic rock group The Beatles, has died at the age of 82.
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Astrid Kirchherr with The Beatles.
Astrid Kirchherr, the photographer who took the first pictures of the iconic rock group The Beatles, has died at the age of 82 in Germany. The news was confirmed on Friday by Mark Lewishon, a historian for The Beatles. He tweeted, “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.”
German Newspaper Die Zeit revealed that Kirchherr died of a “short, serious illness,” Rolling Stone reported.
In 1960, The Beatles performed in Hamburg. Kirchherr attended their show and then convinced the band to partake in a photo shoot. It was the first time The Beatles had their pictures taken together as a band.
According to Rolling Stone, Kirchherr once said about the band: “They were all so young, and I was so different. I was a few years older, I had my own flat, my own car, my own career. They hadn’t met anyone like me before. In some ways I was more like a mother figure.”
RIP Astrid Kirchherr, who played a major role in the early history of The Beatles, capturing the few shots of their Hamburg days in the very early 1960s. Her work has been appreciated for the last 60 years, and will be appreciated for many more. pic.twitter.com/LNRL2FT9CK
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After meeting in 1960, Kirchherr and The Beatles’ Stuart Sutcliffe began a relationship and they became engaged in November 1960.
