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::MUSIC NEWS::
LE Newsletter - February 2, 2012
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Andrew MacNaughton, Photographer, Dies On Rush Assignment
Source:
www.thestar.com - By Ben Rayner
(Jan 26, 2012) Toronto photographer
Andrew MacNaughtan,
longtime documenter of
Rush’s
exploits and the man behind dozens of iconic portraits of
Canadian celebrities, passed away suddenly in Los Angeles on
Wednesday.
MacNaughtan, in his mid-40s, reportedly suffered a heart attack
while in California shooting his old friends, Rush.
A member of the band’s local management staff told the Star
the office was “heartbroken over here,” while Rush members Geddy
Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart issued a joint statement in
MacNaughtan’s honour via their Facebook page: “We’re deeply
shocked and heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of our
close friend and longtime photographer, Andrew MacNaughtan. He
was a sweet person and a very talented artist. Words cannot
describe how much he will be missed.”
PHOTOS: Andrew
MacNaughtan’s pictures
MacNaughtan’s sharply designed photographs, familiar to most
Canadians from magazines and album covers even if they never
knew his name, constitute a veritable Who’s Who of CanCon star
power. He shot everyone from Bryan Adams, Celine Dion and the
Tragically Hip to Peter Mansbridge, Margaret Atwood and the
Trailer Park Boys during his career. A three-time Juno winner
for album design, he also directed the occasional music video
for such artists as Great Big Sea and Michael Bublé. (He won a
fourth Juno for Music DVD of the Year for Rush in Rio.)
MacNaughtan’s most recent work was nevertheless something of a
departure. He published a collection of photographs taken during
his travels in Kenya and Tanzania last November entitled
Grace: Africa in Photographs. Proceeds from the book went to
Art Gives Hope, a charity MacNaughtan founded in 2006. He said
at the time he hoped the book would result in 500 new sponsors
for African children in need through World Vision, a charity to
which Art Gives Hope gave generously.
He got the idea for Art Gives Hope while shooting the Live 8
concert in 2005, he told the Star in a 2006 interview.
“I was shooting backstage and I thought, I have this extensive
archive of photos of all these great Canadian musicians and
something good can come of this,” he said. “At the same time it
sort of seemed silly that these pictures could do some good.”
That first Art Gives Hope exhibit and sale of
signed-by-the-subject prints went on to raise $55,000 for World
Vision.
MacNaughtan’s friend Jann Arden was one of the first to mark his
passing through her Twitter feed.
“My dear friend Andrew MacNaughtan passed away yesterday in
L.A.,” she wrote. “I will miss his kind and generous heart. Safe
travels, dear Andrew.” |
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::ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADAN TWIST::
