Michael Cooper (1941–1973) was a British photographer who is remembered for his photographs of leading rock musicians of the 1960s and early 1970s, most notably the many photos he took of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

from 1963 to 1973. His best known work is the cover photography for the 1967 LP '' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. The "Welcome the Rolling Stones, Good Guys" sweatshirt worn by the "little girl" figure on the far right of the photo (actually a cloth figure of

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

) was provided by Cooper's young son Adam, the product of his marriage to Rose, his muse and model. Cooper also created the cover lenticular for the Rolling Stones 1967 LP ''

Their Satanic Majesties Request ''Their Satanic Majesties Request'' is the 6th British and 8th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967 by Decca Records in the UK and by London Records in the US. It is their first to be relea ...

''. In 1964 Cooper met London art dealer Robert Fraser, through whom he was introduced to leading figures in music, art and literature, including

(the rock band he worked most closely with), Marianne Faithfull,

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

, artists

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the t ...

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

Jann Haworth Jann Haworth (born 1942) is a British-American pop artist. A pioneer of soft sculpture, she is best known as the co-creator of The Beatles' ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' album cover. Haworth is also an advocate for feminist rights ...

Stephen Shore Stephen Shore (born October 8, 1947) is an American photographer known for his images of banal scenes and objects, and for his pioneering use of color in art photography. His books include ''Uncommon Places'' (1982) and ''American Surfaces'' (199 ...

, Peter Blake and

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

and writers William S. Burroughs,

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Thief ...

, Terry Southern and

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

. Cooper was one of those present at

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

' house, "Redlands", in Sussex, when a party being held there was raided by police in the late afternoon of 12 February 1967, leading to drugs charges being laid against Richards,

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and Robert Fraser. MichaelCooper1967BenMerk

Cooper loaned Terry Southern a copy of Anthony Burgess' ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' in 1967 and they collaborated on the first film adaptation of the novel, which Cooper intended to direct, with

as Alex and the other members of The Rolling Stones as Alex's gang of

droog Droog may refer to: * Droog, a ''Nadsat'' slang term for "friend" in Anthony Burgess's novel '' A Clockwork Orange'' and the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation * The Droogs, a United States rock group named after the Nadsat term * The Droogs (rename ...

s. The project was eventually shelved after the screenplay was returned (unread) by Britain's

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main c ...

, with a note indicating that he would not allow the film to be made because it dealt with "youthful incitement". Southern later recommended the book to his friend

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

after Kubrick's planned film on

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

was rejected by MGM. Cooper committed suicide 1973, caught in a spiral of depression and

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and bro ...

addiction. He was 31. In a suicide note addressed to his son, Adam, Cooper wrote:

Don't believe the court when they say that I killed myself when the balance of my mind was disturbed. I just live in a disturbed world, and, as the old poem says, "I hear the sound of a different drum."... I come from what your generation will call the 'Half and Halves'. A generation that made a few changes, but had to experience too many other kinds of changes they had no control over, so some of us were bound to fall by the wayside. I'm one of those.Roylance, ''Blinds & Shutters: Michael Cooper'', 1990, p.18

A lavish book of Cooper's photographs, ''Blinds and Shutters'', edited by Brian Roylance, was published in a limited edition in 1990 by

Genesis Publications Genesis Publications Limited is a British publishing company founded in 1974 by Brian Roylance, a former student of the London College of Printing. His aim was to create a company in the traditions of the private press, true to the arts of printin ...

. A retrospective exhibition of his photography with the same title was held at the Atlas Gallery, London in September–October 2003. Cooper's photographs also feature in the book ''Michael Cooper: You Are Here – The London Sixties'', edited by Robin Muir, and in the book ''The Early Stones'', edited by Perry Richardson.

Books

*''Blinds & Shutters: Michael Cooper'', Editor: Brian Roylance, Genesis/Hedley, 1990. *''The Early Stones'', Originated and compiled: Perry Richardson, Secker & Warburg, 1993. *''Michael Cooper: The London Sixties'', Editor: Robin Muir, Schirmer/Mosel, 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Michael 1941 births 1973 suicides people from Huddersfield Deaths by heroin overdose in England English photographers Drug-related suicides in England Album-cover and concert-poster artists 20th-century British photographers