Ringo Starr and Astrid Kirchherr circa 1964; Max Scheler – K & K/RedfernsBy MATT FRIEDLANDER, ABC News
Paul McCartney has written a heartfelt tribute to Astrid Kirchherr, who died last week at age 82. The German photographer befriended The Beatles during their time in Hamburg, Germany, and took some famous early photos of the band.
“Very sad news…about Astrid Kirchherr,” McCartney wrote. “Another friend, Klaus Voormann, told me she had passed away and this brought back memories of our days in the clubs in Hamburg.”
He recalled, “Astrid looked unique. She had a short blond haircut and wore a slim black, leather outfit which made her look like a funky pixie. She would come to the club with Klaus and another friend, Jürgen Vollmer, and the three of them made quite an impression on us four lads from Liverpool. Their wit and conversation was really stimulating and we fell in love with Astrid’s style.”
Sir Paul then noted, “Astrid took beautiful photographs of us. She used black and white film and achieved a stunning mood in her pictures that we all loved.”
McCartney also complimented Kirchherr’s “great sense of humor,” and pointed out that she “later went on to marry Stuart [Sutcliffe,] our bass player.”
Paul finished his tribute by writing, “So sad for all of us who were her friends to lose such a lovely lady from our lives. I will miss her but will always remember her and her cheeky grin with great fondness. God bless you Astrid, see ya love!”
Along with his message, McCartney included an old photo of him and Kirchherr together, and an artistic black-and-white self-portrait she snapped.
Starr, meanwhile, recently tweeted his own homage, which reads, “God bless Astrid a beautiful human being And she took great photos peace and love.”
Ringo also included a photo of Kirchherr with The Beatles in his post.
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