Paul McCartney: He mourns the loss of his "dear friend" Astrid Kirchherr

Paul McCartney (77, "Egypt Station") said goodbye to his "dear friend" Astrid Kirchherr (1938-2020) with emotional words. The Beatles photographer died on May 12 at the age of 81 in Hamburg. McCartney said the sad news had brought back memories of "our days in Hamburg clubs", referring to the beginnings of the Beatles on Instagram.

The musician also described how he got to know Kirchherr, with her blonde, short hair and her leather outfit she looked "unique". She came to the Beatles with two friends, "and the three impressed us four boys from Liverpool. Their joke and entertainment were very stimulating and we fell in love with Astrid's style." McCartney added that he had "so many wonderful memories of our time together in the club or at her home" or a trip to Lübeck.

Kirchherr is considered the inventor of the Beatles hairstyle

At the end of his post, McCartney wrote: "So sad for all of us who were your friends to lose such a lovely woman. I will miss her but I will always remember her and her cheeky grin. God bless you Astrid, see you dear! – Paul ". After Kirchherr's death, Ringo Starr (79) also said goodbye to the photographer on social media.

Kirchherr became famous for her pictures of the Beatles. She is said to have said about her first encounter with the Beatles at a gig in Hamburg that it changed her whole life in a few minutes. In 1960 she photographed the band for the first time, at that time with Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best. Kirchherr is also considered the inventor of the famous Beatles hairstyle, she was in a relationship with Sutcliffe and allegedly cut his hair in the style of a mushroom head. Stuart Sutcliffe, with whom the photographer was engaged, died at the age of 21 in 1962 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Kirchherr was later on friendly with the Beatles.