Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason is among the artists who have praised album artwork designer Storm Thorgerson, who has died aged 69. In a statement, he recalled his “great ideas and high, sometimes infuriatingly high, standards”. Mason said the artist – whose work included The Dark Side of the Moon – was a “tireless worker right up to the end”. Vocalist Dave Gilmour called him “an inseparable part of our work”. The childhood friend of the founding members of the band, he became their designer-in-chief, fashioning a string of eye-catching creations. Mason said: “Two days before he passed away, and by then completely exhausted, he was still demanding approval for artwork and haranguing his loyal assistants.” He said the artist was a “dear friend to all of us, our children, our wives (and the exes); endlessly intellectual and questioning; breathtakingly late for appointments and meetings, but once there, invaluable for his ideas, humour, and friendship”. Thorgerson credits also include albums by Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Muse. His family released a statement saying he died peacefully on Thursday surrounded by family and friends.
