Paul McCartney will treasure "so many fond memories" with The Beatles' late photographer Astrid Kirchherr following her death last week.
Ringo Starr and George Harrison's widow, Olivia, were among the first to pay tribute to Astrid as the news of her loss hit headlines earlier this month (May20), and now McCartney has broken his silence about his old friend's death.
Very sad news this week about Astrid Kirchherr. Astrid was a dear friend from my Hamburg days with The Beatles. Another friend, Klaus Voormann, told me she had passed away and this brought back memories of our days in the clubs in Hamburg. pic.twitter.com/d2mkWQI37X
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 21, 2020
Taking to social media to pay tribute to Kirchherr, McCartney wrote: “Very sad news this week about Astrid Kirchherr,” in a post on Twitter.
“Astrid was a dear friend from my Hamburg days with The Beatles. Another friend, Klaus Voormann, told me she had passed away and this brought back memories of our days in the clubs in Hamburg,” he added. “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.”
McCartney added: “Astrid took beautiful photographs of us. She used black and white film and achieved a stunning mood in her pictures that we all loved.
“She had a great sense of humour and later went on to marry Stuart our bass player. I have so many fond memories of our time together in the club or her home or a trip to the nearby seaside resort, Lübeck.”
“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! – Paul McCartney.”
Sutcliffe died from a brain haemorrhage in 1962.
