With Stuart Sutcliffe
Soon after her first encounter with The Beatles, Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliffe began a relationship and fell deeply in love.
It was very hard for all of us. Klaus liked Stuart a lot, and Stuart had a conscious hurt about falling in love with me and hurting Klaus.
By November 1960 they were engaged to be married. The following month George Harrison was deported from Hamburg for being under-age. The rest of the group returned to Liverpool.
By this time Sutcliffe had left the band to continue his art studies in Hamburg, though they kept in close contact. In February 1961 he borrowed money from Kirchherr to fly back to Liverpool, and that summer took her to see his family and home city.
Sutcliffe’s headaches and blackouts led Kirchherr’s mother to arrange for German doctors to carry out checks on him, though while living at the family home in Hamburg his condition worsened. On 10 April 1962 he was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, with Kirchherr by his side, but he died before they arrived.
He died in my arms on that journey. I cannot say it was unexpected but the suddenness… the loss to me was great, and to anyone who knew him, because he was a genius, with a great mind and an original talent as an artist. He would have been outstanding, if he’d lived.
The following day she met The Beatles at Hamburg airport and told them of Stuart’s death. She fell into depression in the months afterwards, and was comforted by John Lennon. He told her: “Come on, make up your mind, live or die. Stop sitting at home – it won’t bring Stu back.”
Beyond The Beatles
In 1964 Kirchherr became a freelance photographer. With her colleague Max Scheler she took a series of behind-the-scenes photographs of The Beatles during the filming of A Hard Day’s Night, commissioned by the German magazine Stern. She also took the inner sleeve photograph for George Harrison’s first solo album, 1968’s Wonderwall Music.
Kirchherr found it hard to become accepted as a photographer in the 1960s, and claimed to have taken very few images since 1967:
Every magazine and newspaper wanted me to photograph The Beatles again. Or they wanted my old stuff, even if it was out of focus, whether they were nice or not. They wouldn’t look at my other work. It was very hard for a girl photographer in the 60s to be accepted. In the end I gave up.
She worked as an adviser on the 1994 film Backbeat, which chronicled The Beatles’ time in Hamburg and the relationship between her and Sutcliffe. Kirchherr was impressed with Stephen Dorff, who played Sutcliffe in the film.
I got the shock of my life… He’s the right age, but when he looked up, and I saw this shadow, my arms were geese pimpling. The way he talked, the way he smoked, his gestures, were just like Stu’s. I was very impressed.
She published a series of photography, and her work has been exhibited in Hamburg, Liverpool, Bremen, London, New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Vienna, and at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Astrid Kirchherr died on 12 May 2020, eight days short of her 82nd birthday. Her death was announced on Twitter by Beatles biographer Mark Lewisohn.
Danke schön, Astrid Kirchherr. Intelligent, inspirational, innovative, daring, artistic, awake, aware, beautiful, smart, loving and uplifting friend to many. Her gift to the Beatles was immeasurable. She died in Hamburg on Wednesday, a few days before turning 82. RIP. pic.twitter.com/c8UHNK1tj4
— Mark Lewisohn (@marklewisohn) May 15, 2020
For the record, Astrid Kirchherr passed away on Tuesday this past week, not Wednesday. So that’s May 12. She was born May 20 1938 and died eight days short of her 82nd birthday. RIP, Astrid. pic.twitter.com/ghtYIpr1GY
— Mark Lewisohn (@marklewisohn) May 16, 2020
In the movie “Backbeat,” it is implied that John was also in love with Astrid (but that she fell for his best friend instead). Do you know if there is anything written in one of John’s letters or in an interview/book/etc. that confirms this?
Astrid was the kind of girl “you had to fall in love with” as she was smart, intelligent, talented and good looking. I have read many accounts of the Beatles’ Hamburg days and while the events in Backbeat may have been romantised for the sake of the story, there is no doubt in my mind that there must have been some kind of contest for her charmes. What struck me more in Backbeat is how they portrayed the love affair between John and Stuart. Now there’s a thought…
I thought she had a fondness for Paul. Seems like a high percentage of her photographs focused on him. Paul was probably a bit too young for her though.
As a Beatlemaniac I find it fascinating that Klaus Voorman has literally rooted himself with the Fab Four; all the way back to Hamburg with Astrid & Stuart. And he’s been with them and called on to play/record with them for so many years ago, into his future.
Thanks to “The Beatles Bible” and Happy New Year to all Beatlemaniacs!
A very interesting pre-fab figure that must be explored more in depth. Her inside knowledge is invaluable and must be looked into more as do all persons of the Hamburg era. I believe their learned experiences there gave us the Beatles we know and the cavern era polished it all into the super star they became.
What was the cause of Stuart’s headaches was it due to a bar fight?
Thank you. How is Astrid today 2017
Would appreciate hearing more.
In one of the books I read Stuart’s headaches were the result of him being caught by a gang of teddy boys after a gig in Litherland, but, it was also alleged that John had given him a kicking after an argument.
It is my understanding that it was a brain aneurysm. These can exist for many years undetected and can burst. Once that happens there’s only a small window of time to get medical treatment.
We will miss you enormously. Thank you Astrid, we love you.
This is so cool! I learned only the other day, that this is who I am named after! It’s super cool to learn that I was named after such an important and influential person. It almost makes ME feel apart of this history, haha. She will be greatly missed