Geoff Wonfor, director of ‘The Beatles Anthology’, dies aged 73
Geoff Wonfor, the Grammy-winning British filmmaker who directed The Beatles Anthology documentary sequence, has died on the age of 73.
His loss of life was confirmed on Tuesday (November 22) by his daughter Sam, who mentioned he died in Newcastle, the place he grew up [via Billboard]. No reason for loss of life has been given.
“We’re devastated to have misplaced our Dad and Gramps and are discovering it not possible to think about a world with out him in it,” she mentioned in an announcement [via BBC] “He was a one-off – an enormous presence with a coronary heart to match.
“His heat, humour and encyclopaedic capability for remembering jokes of all qualities ensured individuals who met him hardly ever forgot him – and that has been borne out by the wave of great messages and tributes we’ve acquired since his passing.
“He cherished what he did and we’re so very grateful he acquired to proceed doing it to the tip.”
The Beatles might have chosen any director on the earth to inform their story, and so they went with this straight-talking Geordie, largely identified for a cult British TV music present. They’d a knack for locating the precise individuals.
Geoff Wonfor RIP. https://t.co/hdVDj7Cqsn— Geoff Lloyd (@GeoffLloyd) November 22, 2022
Wonfor spent 5 years making The Beatles Anthology, which comprised an eight-part documentary, three double albums and a espresso desk guide. It was lastly accomplished in 1997. The movie mixed archive footage with new interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison, who died in 2001. It additionally options commentary from John Lennon, who was murdered in 1980. The movie gained a Grammy for Greatest Lengthy Type Music Video.
He additionally directed the movies for McCartney’s songs ‘In The World Tonight’ and ‘Younger Boy’ and labored on Nineteen Eighties pop present The Tube. As well as, Wonfor was within the director’s chair for Band Assist 20, a documentary about how the 1984 Christmas traditional ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ was re-recorded for its twentieth anniversary.
Varied celebrities have paid tribute to Wonfor, together with Denise Welch, who described him as “great father, grandfather and good friend” and a “North East Titan”. Elsewhere, Tim Healy mentioned he was a “a pleasure to be with” whereas his shut good friend and musician Ray Laidlaw described him as a “man of the individuals” and an “unimaginable expertise”.
So so unhappy to listen to of the loss of life of the legend @GeoffWonfor.
A north east titan. Great father, grandfather and good friend All of our @sundayforsammy household will miss you a lot. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️— Denise Welch (@RealDeniseWelch) November 22, 2022
RIP Geoff my expensive good friend. Love you endlessly, you have been a genius director, a soul mate and a pleasure to be with. I’ll cherish our Sunday for Sammy journey all my days, Sending my fondest like to all of the household, Tim ❤️❤️❤️
— Tim Healy (@TheRealTimHealy) November 22, 2022
RIP Geoff Wonfor, our expensive colleague and good friend. A Tyneside visionary who modified music TV endlessly, and gave a lot to the Sunday for Sammy household over the many years. Like to everybody who knew him. Thanks, Geoff x pic.twitter.com/zmY0esnrA8
— Sunday for Sammy (@sundayforsammy) November 22, 2022
He’s survived by daughters Abi and Sam and grandchildren Ami, Amba, Amaaya, Fred and Georgie.