Storm Thorgerson, the English graphic designer that created the art for more than a dozen Pink Floyd albums, including "Dark Side of the Moon," died Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 70.
Thorgerson's long career working with the rock band began in 1968 when he designed the sleeve for "A Saucerful of Secrets." After co-founding the graphic art group Hipgnosis, Thorgerson created the iconic cover art for "Moon," regarded as one of the greatest album covers of all time.
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"He has been a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on and a great friend," Floyd frontman David Gilmour said in a statement posted on the band's website. "The artworks that he created for Pink Floyd from 1968 to the present day have been an inseparable part of our work. I will miss him."
Thorgerson's work has stretched through four decades, designing covers with dozens of artists including Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Styx, Phish and Black Sabbath. More recently, he created album art for Muse, Audioslave, the Offspring and the Mars Volta.
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His work with musicians wasn't limited to just album covers, either. He directed 15 music videos, starting in 1983 with Robert Plant's "Big Log," Rainbow's "Street of Dreams," and Paul Young's "Wherever I Lay My Hat." His last was Pink Floyd's 1994 video for "High Hopes."
In 2003, Thorgerson suffered a stroke but recovered well. Several years later, he was diagosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
"His ending was peaceful, and he was surrounded by family and friends," his family said in a statment on Thursday. "He is survived by his mother Vanji, his son Bill, his wife Barbie Antonis and her two children Adam and Georgia."