“His dependents became incredibly greedy”: Brian May reveals Queen are being sued by the family of the photographer who shot their most iconic album cover
Think of Queen, and we’re willing to bet the Queen II artwork is the first image that pops into your head. Shot in 1974 by photographer Mick Rock, the artwork for the band’s sophomore record has since become one of the most recognisable shots in musical history. However, following Rock’s death in 2021, his family are now pursuing legal action, arguing that Rock wasn’t properly compensated for his work.
Speaking to The Sun, guitarist Brian May reveals that the Rock family are claiming that the late photographer was allegedly not paid enough for his work. “His family is suing us at the moment for vast amounts of money,” May says. “Mick was a lovely guy, very ambitious, quite money oriented.”
Queen ensured that they “paid [Rock] very, very well for what he did”. Despite that, Rock’s family are insisting that the payout wasn’t sufficient.
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Alongside its recreation in the 1975 video for Bohemian Rhapsody, the iconic snap of Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor has since become a cultural touchstone, with countless bands imitating it in photoshoots and music videos. Yet that legacy has been soured, in light of the brewing legal battle.
Perhaps alluding to the later recreation of the shot for memorabilia and in the Bohemian Rhapsody video, May alleges that the Rock family are suing on the grounds that Rock should be compensated for every way in which Queen have benefitted from the shot.
“His dependents became incredibly greedy and decided that everything was his idea,” May explains. “[They believe] we owe him millions and millions, not just in the UK, but all around the world. So they’re suing us all around… it’s a little hard for me to be objective about the thing.”
May goes on to say that, if Rock were still alive, the matter could have been settled easily out of court. “I’m sorry he’s not around because I know if he was around, we’d go, ‘Oh, come on, we’ll settle this,’” the guitarist says. “We’d shake hands and it would be done tomorrow.”
News of the legal battle comes shortly after the re-release of Queen II, with an expanded edition of the record dropping just last Friday.
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