On May 15, news came through that Astrid Kirchherr, famed German photographer known for her legacy of work documenting the Beatles, had passed away at the age of 81 earlier in the week.
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
Kirchherr is esteemed for the early-era photos she took of the Beatles. More on her work with the group, via the Guardian:
Kirchherr took the first photo of the Beatles as a group, at the city’s fairground in 1960, when the bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe, and the drummer, Pete Best, were still members. She dated Sutcliffe, and cut his hair into the “moptop” style that came to be a key look for the early Beatles, a style inspired by Kirchherr’s previous boyfriend. She and Sutcliffe soon got engaged, but he died in 1962 of a brain haemorrhage aged 21, alongside her in an ambulance.
She and the Beatles remained friends – she went on holiday with them in Paris in 1963 just after their first UK No 1 single – and took further acclaimed photographs of the band behind the scenes of the film A Hard Day’s Night. She also photographed George Harrison for his 1968 solo album, Wonderwall Music.
Remembering Astrid: How photographing George and @thebeatles changed her life. pic.twitter.com/1i0lvAmkUR
— George Harrison (@GeorgeHarrison) May 16, 2020
Astrid is and was the sweetest woman, so thoughtful and kind and talented, with an eye to capture a soul. Our family loved her and none more than George. I am truly saddened but honoured to have known her. Olivia #AstridKirchherr pic.twitter.com/5Dt7OmuGS8
— George Harrison (@GeorgeHarrison) May 15, 2020
In the days after her passing, Ringo Starr sent along his condolences in a memorial tweet:
One of my all-time favorite photos thank you Astrid peace and love. 😎✌️🌟❤️🎶🎵🥦🦏💖☮️ pic.twitter.com/mVHvVmIaQV
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) May 17, 2020
And now, after having a few days to gather his thoughts and jot them down, Paul McCartney also remembered Astrid Kirchherr with a series of posts on Twitter on Thursday:
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
Astrid looked unique. She had a short blond haircut and wore a slim black, leather outfit which made her look like a funky pixie.
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 21, 2020
She would come to the club with Klaus and another friend, Jürgen Vollmer, and the three of them made quite an impression on us four lads from Liverpool.
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 21, 2020
Their wit and conversation was really stimulating and we fell in love with Astrid’s style. Astrid took beautiful photographs of us. She used black and white film and achieved a stunning mood in her pictures that we all loved.
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 21, 2020
She had a great sense of humour and later went on to marry Stuart our bass player. I have so many fond memories of our time together in the club or her home or a trip to the nearby seaside resort, Lübeck.
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 21, 2020
So sad for all of us who were her friends to lose such a lovely lady from our lives. I will miss her but will always remember her and her cheeky grin with great fondness. God bless you Astrid, see ya love! – Paul McCartney
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 21, 2020
