Storm Thorgerson
February 28, 1944 – April 18, 2013
Storm Thorgerson was a renowned graphic artist whose catalog includes some of rock music’s most famous album covers. Born in Middlesex, England, Thorgerson went to high school with Syd Barrett and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame. He eventually joined a graphic arts collective called Hipgnosis which created many popular album cover designs until closing shop in 1983. He then went on to form his own design house, Storm Studios. Arguably, Thorgerson’s most famous cover is the one he designed for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Often surreal in nature, his canon of work includes the covers of most of the Pink Floyd albums; the Cult‘s Electric; Led Zeppelin‘s Presence and In Through the Out Door; Peter Gabriel‘s three self-titled albums; as well as visually stunning covers for Muse, Phish, Megadeth, Catherine Wheel, Black Sabbath, the Cranberries, Genesis, Alan Parsons and many more. Thorgerson also directed popular videos by the likes of Bruce Dickinson, Nik Kershaw, Paul Young, David Gilmour, and of course, Pink Floyd. He suffered a stroke in 2003 but recovered and went back to work. Sometime later, he was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately died from it on April 18, 2013. Storm Thorgerson was 69 when he passed away.
Thanks to Bruce Kilgour at Slipped Disc Entertainment for the assist.
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Robert Zildjian was the founder of Sabian Cymbal Company, one of music’s most popular brands. Born into the family that began making cymbals in Istanbul in 1633, Zildian went into the family business at a very young age. At almost 400 years old, the Avedis Zildjian Company is one of the oldest companies in the world. In 1929, the business moved to America, and in 1981 – after a family dispute – Robert broke away and formed the Sabian Cymbal Company. The two cymbal makers have coexisted yet remained rivals ever since. Sabian Cymbals have been used by many of the greatest drummers in rock history. Robert Zildian died of cancer on March 28, 2013. He was 89.
Bernard Lansky was a longtime Memphis clothing retailer who, along with his brother, Guy Lansky owned Lansky Brothers on Beale Street. Since the early ’50s, the Lansky brothers helped create a visual image for celebrities who appreciated their store’s simple yet classic suits. The long list of their musical clientele over the years included 
Brent Grulke was the creative director for the South By Southwest (SXSW) music conference for the past 30 years, and by all accounts was the driving force in making it the world-renowned annual event it is today. In charge of booking acts, Grulke’s passion for music brought the conference from a regional event that launched with around 200 performers vying for the attention of record companies, to a must-attend gathering that now draws 2000 performers from around the world. To the delight of music fans (disgust of some traditionalists), SXSW has become an event that also includes popular artists who have new music to pitch. In recent years, it has played host to Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, and Lil’ Wayne, to name just a few superstar acts. Prior to his tenure at SXSW, Grulke worked as a tour manager, producer, and label executive, as well as an editor for the Austin Chronicle. Brent Grulke was 52 when he died of a heart attack on August 13, 2012.