Bruce Gowers, the Emmy and Grammy winner who directed nine-plus seasons of American Idol and a whole lot of music movies, together with the seminal “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Queen, has died. He was 82.
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Gowers died Sunday in Santa Monica of problems from an acute respiratory an infection, his household introduced.
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Gowers additionally directed and co-created the long-running sequence of Kidsongs sing-along movies for Warner Bros. Information together with his spouse, Carol Rosenstein.
A specialist in reside occasions and TV specials, Gowers directed and/or produced the Emmys, the Fakazakamp Music Awards, MTV’s Music Video and Film awards, the ESPYs, the Folks’s Alternative Awards and plenty of different award reveals.
He known as the photographs for 234 episodes of American Idol from 2002-11, from the primary season to the tenth, based on IMDb, and received his Emmy for excellent directing for a spread, music or comedy sequence in 2009.
His Grammy trophy got here in 1986 for his work on the music video for Huey Lewis and the Information’ “Coronary heart of Rock and Roll.” Eight years later, he acquired a DGA award for helming the CBS particular Genius: A Night time for Ray Charles.
Alongside the way in which, he directed comedy specials from Richard Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy and Paula Poundstone and music specials from Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.
Gowers’ contact on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” filmed at Elstree Studios in London in November 1975 in about three hours for the BBC’s High of the Pops, helped Freddie Mercury and his mates discover superstardom and proved to be a defining second within the historical past of the music video enterprise.
It was the primary music video ever aired by the influential High of the Pops, and he mentioned he obtained $590 for the gig.
“It modified the way in which music was perceived; everybody was doing movies and bands have been seeing their gross sales and chart positions rise if their movies have been good,” he advised the Each day Mail in 2018.
“The one factor that upsets me is that they’ve been utilizing my video for 40 years, and so they have by no means paid me a dime or mentioned thanks.”
Gowers additionally directed music movies for Rod Stewart (“Scorching Legs” and extra), Michael Jackson (“Rock With You”), Prince (“1999”), John Mellencamp (“Jack and Diane”), The Rolling Stones (“Idiot to Cry”), Rush (“Limelight,” “Tom Sawyer”), Ambrosia (“How A lot I Really feel”), 10cc (“I’m Not in Love”), Bee Gees (“How Deep Is Your Love”), Supertramp (“Goodbye Stranger”), Chaka Kahn (“I’m Each Lady”), Peaches and Herb (“Reunited”), Journey (“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”) and The Tubes (“Prime Time”).
Gowers was born on Dec. 21, 1940, in New Kilbride, Scotland, the place his British dad and mom, Robert, an educator, and Violet, a homemaker, have been stationed throughout World Battle II. He grew up in Enfield, North London, and graduated from The Latymer Faculty.
He attended the BBC Coaching Faculty and began his profession on the BBC, the place he was a cable puller, cameraman and manufacturing supervisor earlier than touchdown producing and directing positions on the Rediffusion and London Weekend Tv networks.
Gowers relocated to the U.S. within the ’70s and met Rosenstein on the music video shoot for Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night time.” He additionally labored with Elton John, The Pretenders, Santana, Van Halen, REO Speedwagon, Christopher Cross, Genesis and Fleetwood Mac throughout his profession.
For the previous 23 years, he and Rosenstein resided in Malibu.
Along with his spouse, survivors embrace his daughter, Katharine; son Sean; grandchildren Sean Jr., Robert, Charlotte and Layla; his former spouse, Charlene; and his beloved bulldogs, Child and Rocky, and parrot, Polly.
A memorial service is being deliberate. In lieu of flowers, donations in his title will be made to World Central Kitchen and/or Southern California Bulldog Rescue.
Gowers, his household famous, “at all times introduced boundless enthusiasm, vitality, ardour and pleasure to his work. He liked and was liked by the crews that he labored with and was recognized far and broad for his generosity as a colleague, always encouraging and selling the proficient individuals on his group.
“Humorous, irreverent and splendidly candid, he can be remembered in numerous legendary tales that can maintain his charming spirit alive for a few years to come back. He was at all times happiest within the management room, on a ship within the Bahamas, and naturally, at house with the canine, family and friends.”
This text initially appeared in THR.com.
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