Photographer of Doors album covers dies

By Susan Visakowitz

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Music photographer Joel Brodsky, whose sexy, shirtless images of Doors lead singer Jim Morrison have taken on iconic status, has died. He was 67.

He succumbed to an apparent heart attack at his home in Stamford, Conn., on March 1.

Brodsky shot more than 400 album covers throughout his career, including Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks," Isaac Hayes' "Black Moses" and Kiss' self-titled 1974 debut. His images of the Doors graced the group's first two albums, 1967's "The Doors" and "Strange Days," as well as 1969's "The Soft Parade."

Brodsky, born October 7, 1939, in Brooklyn, N.Y., followed his graduation from Syracuse University with service in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s.

In 1966, he opened a photo studio in New York, where he would soon take the famous photographs of Morrison. Images from this session are among the most widely circulated photos of the Doors and have been used on a plethora of releases including 1985's "The Best of the Doors."

In a 1981 interview, Brodsky said of that first encounter with the Doors: "I always thought it was sort of funny that the pictures of Morrison from that session were the most used. Jim was totally plastered."

The shoot was later re-created by director Oliver Stone for "The Doors," though the photographer character was based on Sixteen magazine editor Gloria Stavers.

Other artists that sat for Brodsky's camera include Joan Baez, James Brown, Harry Chapin, Judy Collins, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, the MC5 and Tom Waits.

Later in his career, Brodsky photographed advertisements for Avon, Revlon, Bloomingdale's and Paul Stuart. He also directed TV commercials for Revlon.

Brodsky is survived by his wife Valerie, three daughters, a sister and three granddaughters.

Reuters/Billboard