Pioneering music video director Diane Martel dead at 63
Diane Martel, an award-winning music video director who helped transform the art form, has died aged 63.
Over the course of her career, which began in the early 1990s, Martel worked with names such as Mariah Carey, Sting, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Robyn, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Charli XCX, Nicki Minaj, and Franz Ferdinand.
In a statement, Martel’s family announced her passing, writing, “Diane passed away peacefully at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital – surrounded by friends and family – after a long battle with breast cancer.”
The message continued, “She is survived by her Aunt, Gail Merrifield Papp (wife of Joseph Papp, founder of The Public Theatre), her three beloved, loyal cats (Poki, PopPop, PomPom) and many loving lifetime friends.”
The New York-native began working in hip-hop and R&B before branching out into the pop space during the 2000s. She also teamed up with indie bands like Franz Ferdinand on numerous occasions, and The Cribs on the visuals for their biggest hit, ‘Men’s Needs’.
Most notably, Martel was the brains behind Robin Thicke’s controversial video for ‘Blurred Lines’, which has been viewed close to a billion times on YouTube, and also helmed Miley Cyrus’ eyebrow-raising video for ‘We Can’t Stop’.
Tributes have poured in from artists she worked with, including Charli XCX, whose 2016 video for ‘After The Afterparty’ was directed by Martel. She wrote on Instagram Stories: “R.I.P Diane. You are one in a million. You taught me so much about art and spontaneity and chaos. And thank you for introducing me to so many friends who I’m now so close to. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for everything.”
Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos wrote: “It’s too soon for me to properly comprehend this. I’m just numb. She was a great artist and if you’re curious about her work, just google her and you’ll spend hours discovering the incredible work she made.”
Kapranos also described Martel as “the smartest, wittiest companion”, and “the source of the finest understanding of all art forms from the highest to the lowest”.
Meanwhile, Ciara, whose video for ‘Ecstasy’ earlier this year was Martel’s final, said she is “forever grateful for all the magic we’ve been able to make together”.
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