Stars pay tribute to fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh

The Duchess of Sussex has led tributes to celebrated fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, who she recently worked with on her Force for Change edition of Vogue magazine, following his death at the age of 74.

Stars including David Beckham and Charlize Theron also shared their sadness on social media after it was announced that the esteemed German photographer – who first made his name with his distinctive black-and-white style and was credited with the rise of the supermodel in the eighties and nineties – had died on Tuesday. 

The announcement of his death was published alongside a trademark monochrome image by Lindbergh on the photographer’s Instagram account. 

After news of his death broke, Meghan and Harry’s SussexRoyal Instagram account was among the first to pay tribute to the talented photographer, saying ‘he will be deeply missed’. 

Lindbergh’s most famous recent work was his work on Meghan’s Forces for Change September issue of British Vogue. While the Duchess was not photographed for the magazine, she personally chose Lindbergh to capture the 15 women she featured on the cover – including Selma Hayek and NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.  

The renowned German fashion photographer also snapped Meghan for the October 2017 cover of Vanity Fair, when the Suits star opened up about her romance with Prince Harry for the first time. 

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The news of Lindbergh’s death was announced to his 1.3million Instagram followers alongside a monochrome image by the photographer

German photographer Peter Lindbergh, who shot to fame photographing some of the world’s biggest supermodels in the nineties, died on Tuesday

The German photographer, famous for his black-and-white images, worked with the Duchess of Sussex on her September issue of Vogue magazine shooting 15 ‘trailblazing’ women including climate change activist Greta Thunberg (top row, fourth image from left), author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (second row, first image from left) and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (second row, far right). Right: The Sussex Royal account praised Lindbergh for ‘eschewing photoshopping’ in his work

British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful alongside the Duchess of Sussex as they picked the line-up of women who would be photographer by Peter Lindbergh for the special edition

Star quality: Nicole Kidman pictured with Lindbergh at the Pirelli Calendar launch in 2017

Lindbergh, right, pictured with actresses Uma Thurman, centre, and Helen Mirren, left, has photographed some of the world’s biggest stars during his illustrious career

David Beckham said he was finding it difficult to ‘come up with the words’ to explain how much he loved and respected the photographer

The post on Prince Harry and Meghan’s official Instagram account read: ‘His work is revered globally for capturing the essence of a subject and promoting healthy ideals of beauty, eschewing photoshopping, and preferring natural beauty with minimal makeup.’ 

Earlier this year, the photographer revealed he was personally chosen by the duchess and the magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, after he worked with Meghan for her 2016 Vanity Fair cover story.   

The Sussex Royal post today confirmed that, saying: ‘There is no other photographer she [Meghan] considered to bring this meaningful project to life. Forces for Change was one of the esteemed photographer’s final published projects. He will be deeply missed.’  

Other stars added their own tributes. David Beckham said the photographer was a ‘legend’ while Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful called him ‘a visionary photographer’ and ‘a dear friend’.

The short post on Lindbergh’s official Instagram account read: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Peter Lindbergh on September 3rd 2019, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife Petra, his first wife Astrid, his four sons Benjamin, Jérémy, Simon, Joseph and seven grandchildren. He leaves a big void.’

Born on 23rd November 1944 in Leszno, Poland, a city then annexed by Germany, Lindbergh spent his formative years in the town of Duisburg. 

Supermodel Kate Moss pictured with the German photography two years ago in Tokyo

British Vogue paid tribute to the photographer, with editor Edward Enninful calling him ‘a visionary photographer’ and ‘a dear friend’

Lindbergh captured images of 15 cover stars including teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for the September 2019 Forces For Change issue, which Meghan edited.   

The Duchess chose to promote ‘trailblazing’ women who have campaigned for body positivity, transgender rights and climate change when she took control of the British September edition of the fashion magazine. 

The photographer enjoyed an illustrious career, and shot to fame in the nineties when he was behind the lens when some of the world’s most famous supermodels walked the runway.

The fashion photographer recently shot 15 cover stars for Meghan’s September 2019 Forces For Change edition of British Vogue

Lindbergh’s family announced that the photographer had died on Tuesday at the age of 74

Peter Lindbergh pictured at an exhibition of his work in 2010 in Berlin. The talented photographer was born in Poland, but spent his formative years in Duisburg, Germany

British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful also paid tribute, saying: ‘Peter Lindbergh was both a visionary photographer and a dear friend. His ability to see real beauty in people, and the world, was ceaseless, and will live on through the images he created. He will be missed by everyone who knew him, worked with him or loved one of his pictures.’ 

On Twitter actress Charlize Theron wrote: My heart is broken. Peter Lindbergh was a genius and an absolute master of his craft. Beyond that, what made him truly one of a kind was his consistent kindness, warmth, and incredible sense of humor. One of the best human beings I have ever met. I will never forget you my friend.’

Meghan Markle told Lindbergh: ‘I want to see freckles’ and gave ‘clear instructions’ for her 15 Vogue cover stars to look natural 

The photographer who captured portraits for Meghan Markle’s edition of Vogue has revealed the royal phoned him with ‘clear instructions’ for the magazine’s 15 cover shots. 

Peter Lindbergh said Meghan phoned him on the morning of a photoshoot in New York, telling Vogue: ‘My instructions from the Duchess were clear: ‘I want to see freckles!’. Well, that was like running through open doors for me. I love freckles.’ 

A close-up of model Adwoa Aboah on the cover, showing her freckled skin, proves the photographer followed Meghan’s instructions to the letter. 

The Duchess of Sussex first worked with Lindbergh when he shot her for Vanity Fair in 2016 and chose the snapper when she worked on her issue of Vogue magazine

The photographer was personally chosen by the duchess and editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, after he worked with Meghan for her 2016 Vanity Fair cover story, in which she spoke about her romance with Prince Harry for the first time. 

Enninful revealed that he and Meghan had ‘exactly the same idea at exactly the same time’ to select the German photographer to help create the cover of the September issue.

The images were shot over three continents and several days in June, with separate shoots happening in New York, Sweden and London.

It was shortly before the New York shoot that Meghan phoned Peter and explicitly told him she wanted to see ‘freckles’ in the photographs. 

He also revealed that ‘natural’ was a word that repeatedly came up in cover conversations, saying: ‘I hate retouching, I hate make-up. I always say, ‘Take the make-up off!’