Pink Floyd Album Designer Storm Thorgerson Dies at 69

Storm Thorgerson, best known for the design of iconic Pink Floyd albums including Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, died Thursday after a lengthy illness, the band announced. He was 69.

Pink Floyd’s official site released a statement saying, “We are saddened by the news that longtime Pink Floyd graphic genius, friend and collaborator, Storm Thorgerson, has died. Our thoughts are with his family and many friends.”

Guitarist David Gilmour said in a separate statement, “The artworks that he created for Pink Floyd from 1968 to the present day have been an inseparable part of our work.”

Thorgerson began his career in the late 1960s with U.K. design group Hipgnosis. His style made him an instant standout. Throughout the 1970s, he worked with Pink Floyd, designing two of their albums, as well as working with Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Muse. Aside from designing, he also produced a range of videos during the late ’80s and early ’90s.

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In an interview with BBC in 2010, he said: “People pay me for my thoughts and my dream. I think in that sense I’m very fortunate.”

His family released a statement saying, “He had been ill for some time with cancer, though he had made a remarkable recovery from his stroke in 2003. He is survived by his mother, Vanji, his son Bill, his wife, Barbie Antonis, and her two children Adam and Georgia.”

The bond between Floyd and Thorgerson ran deep, and in his remarks, Gilmour spoke lovingly of his longtime friend, whom he’d known since their teen years.

“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.”

Thorgerson designed both of the albums below: Dark Side of the Moon (1973) & Wish You Were Here (1975)