Bruce Gowers, the award-winning director behind a protracted listing of music movies, together with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” has died on the age of 82.
In response to The Hollywood Reporter, the director’s passing was confirmed by his household. Gowers demise was reportedly as a result of issues from an acute respiratory an infection.
The English-born director obtained his begin on the BBC, first working as a manufacturing assistant and cameraman earlier than working his approach up the ranks.
Within the Seventies, he made a reputation for himself within the burgeoning music video business. His 1975 video for Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” proved groundbreaking. The clip — which juxtaposed footage of the band’s members set in opposition to a black background with efficiency clips that includes Queen wearing white — turned iconic.
Watch the Music Video for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Traditionally, the “Bohemian Rhapsody” would later be broadly considered the primary true music video, proving the medium may function a serious advertising device for bands, and not directly serving to usher within the MTV era. Nonetheless, it was removed from Gowers’ solely work.
The director would staff up with Queen on a number of extra movies, together with these for “You are My Greatest Good friend” and “Anyone to Love.” His additional work included included music movies for among the largest names in music historical past, together with: The Rolling Stones, Genesis, Rod Stewart, the Bee Gees, Journey, Alice Cooper, Styx, John Mellencamp, Rush, Toto, Kiss, Prince, Santana, Huey Lewis & the Information and Michael Jackson.
Gowers’ music video output started to sluggish within the mid-‘80s as he turned his consideration in direction of stay tv work. Over the subsequent 20 years, the director would helm a protracted listing of comedy specials from such stars as Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and Rodney Dangerfield. It was Gowers who directed Eddie Murphy’s Delirious, considered one of many biggest comedy specials of all time.
Watch the Music Video for ‘1999’ (Directed by Bruce Gowers)
Gowers additionally continued working alongside musicians throughout this era, as he directed many televised live performance occasions, together with Paul McCartney’s MTV Unplugged (1991), the Rolling Stones’ Bridges to Babylon (1997) and Fleetwood Mac: The Dance (1997).
Gowers’ talent with stay occasions transferred to awards exhibits, the place he directed and/or produced such lauded occasions because the Emmys, the Billboard Music Awards, the MTV VMAs, the ESPYs and the Individuals’s Selection Awards. He additionally directed 234 episodes of American Idol, spanning the singing competitors present’s first 10 seasons.
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