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The Man Set Ablaze For ‘Wish You Were Here’ Artwork Has Passed Away

Ashton
August 18, 2025 One Min Read
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Growing up, Wish You Were Here‘s album cover was always more exciting than The Dark Side of the Moon‘s. At the center, a handshake; one man cloaked in shadows, the other on fire. The latter, Ronnie Rondell Jr., became a part of rock and roll history in 1975, years after appearing in over 150 Hollywood productions between 1955 and 2003, namely Spartacus, Blazing Saddles, and Gunsmoke. After his collaboration with Pink Floyd, Rondell would go on to do stunts in The Karate Kid, Commando, Lethal Weapon, Thelma & Louise,The Crow, The Matrix Reloaded, and act as a stunt coordinator/supervisor for Dynasty, Deep Blue Sea, Batman & Robin, and T.J. Hooker. News of Rondell’s passing broke over the weekend. He was 88 years old.

The Wish You Were Here artwork remained his most infamous appearance, done in a shoot by photographer Aubrey Powell. It took 15 takes to complete, and Rondell wore fireproof gear and smothered himself in protective gel.  What came of it was not only an image immortalized in Pink Floyd‘s lore forever, but a conversation starter for Rondell, who lived long enough to tell the tale of a shoot more dangerous than any of his on-screen stunts.

Stunts Unlimited, an organization Rondell co-founded in 1970, wrote: “In a class all his own, Ronnie was a generous mentor whose talents set the bar for every aspiring stunt person. He was deeply respected, admired and loved. Ronnie was not just a legend, he was legendary and will be deeply missed.”

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