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Michael David Rock photographed a who's who of rock and roll -- including the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, Roxy Music and Blondie. He was considered not just a photographer among rocks stars but a rock star among photographers.
The beloved British photog died Thursday at 72.
"Shocked, stunned, and heartbroken over the passing of my dear friend and poet of the lens," tweeted singer-songwriter Richard Barone, who founded the Hoboken-based Bongos.
Rock "lived up to his name as well as any of the names he captured," author Andrew Stafford noted.
Rock was attending Cambridge University when he discovered photography. He quickly befriended musicians -- among them, former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett.
He got his break break in 1972 when he met David Bowie, who became the focus of some of Rock's most memorable shots as Ziggy Stardust. Rock also directed Bowie's “Life on Mars,” “John, I’m Only Dancing,” “Jean Genie,” and “Space Oddity” videos.
Seventies rock and roll fans will no doubt recall Rock's group photo of Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. He also was the behind-the-scenes photographer during the filming of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Rock went on to photograph R.E.M., Madonna, and Motley Crue -- and, more recently, Lenny Kravitz, Daft Punk, Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus.
"A camera is a wonderful ally. It requires minimal maintenance and provides entry to a world of endless imagery," Rock's last tweet reads. "Follow the frame, says I."
"I’m very playful, very open-minded, very aware of the way people move, the way the look, their expressions or angles," reads a previous post. "After a while it's almost as if the pictures take themselves. That's when the magic starts to happen. It's not complicated."Twitter and Instagram posts announced Rock's death Thursday night.
"Those who had the pleasure of existing in his orbit, know that Mick was always so much more than ’The Man Who Shot The 70s’," they read. "He was a photographic poet — a true force of nature who spent his days doing exactly what he loved, always in his own delightfully outrageous way."He was a mythical creature; the likes of which we shall never experience again."
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