Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Michael Putland

Michael Putland, a famed photographer who captured every notable Seventies act from members of the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to ABBA, is reported to have died November 17 aged 72.

Putland, who began his career after leaving school at 16, died after a struggle with cancer.

The British lensman made a name for himself in the early ’70s as the go-to the shooter from magazine Disc & Music Echo. 

Once established Putland would work with former Beatles Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as well as also capture iconic shots of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Putland was also present for a number of Led Zeppelin’s iconic performances, most notably at Bath Festival in 1970, Earl’s Court in 1975, New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1977 and Live Aid in 1985.

“It has been a fantastic ride through an incredible period of music history,” Micheal Putland reflected before his death, “which combined my two great loves… music and photography. Little did I appreciate, when my Uncle Alan encouraged my photography back in the 1950s, that this would lead me to photographing nearly all of my heroes… and thrilled to be still finding new ones. A great never ending journey.”

Examples of Micheal Putland’s finest work have been collected in 2019 book The Music I Saw.

You can purchase a copy here.

The news follows the announcement that another of the Beatles and Led Zeppelin’s well-known photographers, Terry O’Neill passed away last week.