Latest news with #DenisO'Regan
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Famed Photographer Says He Was 'Surprised' by David Bowie's Behavior Off the Stage (Exclusive)
The photographer toured with Bowie in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s Denis O'Regan had an unlikely road to his place as one of rock's most iconic photographers. In his new book David Bowie by Denis O'Regan, the famed photographer takes a heartfelt and meticulous look back at touring with the iconic singer over three decades — in the 1970s, at the end of his Isolar II World Tour; in the 1980s, on the Serious Moonlight and Glass Spider world tours; and in the 1990s, during the Tin Man and Outside tours. Speaking with PEOPLE about the collection of photos and stories that comprise the book, O'Regan opens up about what it was like getting to know Bowie. "When I got there, I thought David would be seen in these different guises, and no one had ever really seen him offstage that much. I thought, 'Well, he's going to keep us [at] arm's length. He won't let me do this. He'll be demanding about that,'" he recalls. "And of course, that wasn't the case." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. O'Regan was shocked by the "Rebel Rebel" singer's comfortability giving him "unfettered access to everything, everywhere and anywhere." "I just did what I did and captured it all, and we got along," he shares. "That really helped. I was fairly lazy, so that also helped because I wasn't constantly hassling him or anyone I worked with to take pictures." Getting to know Bowie was an experience in itself. O'Regan found himself "surprised" by "how pleasant he was and unprepossessing." "He was very normal and that's not what I expected from the person I'd seen on stage. He was still this English lad who hid a cigarette in his hand behind his back like he was a naughty schoolboy," he recalls. "He was also very funny. He loved to imitate people and he laughed continually. And that I didn't expect. So I didn't expect him to be so friendly and accommodating really is what it was, and so enthusiastic about what I was there to do." The photographer came to appreciate Bowie's character, on and off stage. "From David being around all the time, he had gone from this person who was an enigma for me and this hero, to there I was, with him all day, every day. Sometimes I did wonder how I'd managed it." O'Regan also got used to seeing other stars, from those who worked with Bowie to those who were simply fans of the musician and would come to his shows. On one occasion, the photographer was preparing to shoot a show at Wembley Stadium when he learned that Princess Diana was coming and eager to meet Bowie. "I thought, 'Well, Princess Diana, that's fun.' But there was no communication. I was out in the audience at Wembley Stadium, and I took my father and my brother out there to get them a good place, and we were gone for quite a while," he recalls. "Then I came back and David and his PA just said, 'Diana's on her way.' " O'Regan says Diana was with "a friend," who would later be revealed to be Army Major James Hewitt, though, at the time, no one had any suspicions the two were romantically involved. "On that day, she was just with a friend. And it was only when that was reported over the next couple of days that we really knew what was going on," he adds. "It didn't make any difference to our day, but that's what happened." When Diana arrived, O'Regan asked promoter Harvey Goldsmith if he could photograph her. Goldsmith then told him to "ask her yourself." The photographer remembered feeling like "protocol went out the window." "I thought, 'Okay, wasn't quite sure that's how it's done.' So I did and I said, 'Would you like a picture taken with David?'" he recalls. "And she said, 'Do you think you'd really want one taken with me?' And I went, 'I think he would actually,' so then we did it. But it was lovely, and she was lovely, and it was great to have done it." Another unforgettable celebrity sighting was when Michael Jackson spent time backstage with Bowie — narrowly missing Prince, who "scuttled off just before" his fellow pop star arrived. "With Michael Jackson, everyone was just milling around in the green room, and Michael didn't want any pictures taken," he recalls. "So I said, 'Well, it's either pictures with David or it isn't,' so he agreed, and that was the first time I met." "I think the thing that surprised me about Michael Jackson was he was quite tall, and that threw me," O'Regan shares. "He was coming across as this little boy. If you look at the piece, he's as tall or taller than David." It wasn't unusual to see the stars showing up to greet Bowie at any gig. Noting there were "always people milling about," O'Regan saw famous faces including Andy Warhol, Duran Duran, and Gary Oldman. "I'd wonder if they were fans or if they just wanted to meet him or get their picture taken with him," he admits. "Mick Jagger was an old friend, so I photographed them together more than once during those tours. And one picture of David and Mick, it's in the book, but I took it at a club after a Wembley Stadium show, and it's Mick and David sitting at the table. And when David passed away, Mick tweeted that picture as his tribute." Similarly, Madonna used a photo taken by O'Regan to commemorate Bowie's death in January 2016. "She just cropped herself and David out, but to the left, there was Sam Kinison, the comedian, and next to him was Billy Idol. I know David was a hero to Madonna because Sean Penn told David that Madonna based her entire career on David, and the change of look and things like that, so that must've been quite a moment for her," O'Regan says. The photographer found that, like himself, "loads of people, from all different walks of life" adored Bowie. David Bowie by Denis O'Regan is available wherever books are sold beginning on Tuesday, August 5. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Palace buried photographs of Princess Diana and David Bowie for nearly 40 years to quash affair rumours
Never before seen pictures of Princess Diana with pop legend David Bowie have been discovered nearly 40 years after they were taken. The backstage image of a smiling Diana next to an equally ecstatic Bowie was captured by photographer Denis O'Regan during the pop star's 1987 Wembley concert. Speaking to MailOnline, Denis revealed that it was legendary music promoter Harvey Goldsmith who was instrumental in getting the pop royalty next to the then-Princess of Wales for a photo-op. 'I was working with David on his 1987 Glass Spider concert. I was with my father and brother helping them find a good spot in the crowd. Once I made my way back to David I was told that Diana was on her way. 'Diana arrived with Harvey Goldsmith and I asked Harvey if I could take a picture of Diana and David together and he told me to "ask her",' Denis said. In response, the 25-year-old princess shyly asked whether Bowie would even want a picture with her to which Denis responded: 'I think he would.' The day after the candid snaps were taken, Denis received a 'polite request' from the palace that the pictures do not be published. But the reason the images were buried for nearly 40 years is not because of who is pictured but rather who was off-camera. Diana was at the concert with Army Major James Hewitt who she famously had an affair with from 1986 until 1991. Rumours of their relationship in the press were rife at the time but no photographic proof had been taken. Denis said that James 'kept his distance' from the photographers to avoid being snapped with Diana. He has no regrets at missing out on what could have been one of the most famous pictures of Diana ever taken. 'No one knew who he was so I had no reason to picture him and the word wasn't out yet about their relationship.' The evening at Wembley is referenced in Andrew Morton's bombshell biography, Diana: Her True Story. According to Morton, Diana was accompanied by her friends David Waterhouse and David Linley. Diana, speaking to Morton, said: 'I went in leather trousers, which I thought was the right thing to do, completely putting out of mind that I was the future Queen and future Queens don't wear leather like that in public. 'So I thought that was frightfully "with it". Frightfully pleased to act my own age.' Morton said that Diana got 'slapped wrists' for her choice of trousers. 'Once again she was trying to behave like Fergie (the then-Duchess of York) but courtiers at Buckingham Palace did not feel her apparel was suitable for a future queen,' Morton wrote. One of Denis' pictures of Bowie and Diana is featured in his upcoming photography book, David Bowie by Denis. Inside the book, Denis tells the story of his time photographing the Ashes to Ashes singer from 1974 to 1994. During his long career, Denis also photographed Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Bob Marley. Diana and Bowie had previously met in 1985 during the Live Aid benefit concert - also at Wembley. They then reunited at the famous stadium once again in 1993 when Bowie hosted the Concert of Hope in 1993. A charity concert organised partly by the Princess of Wales to raise awareness and money for AIDS. Diana had a five-year affair with James Hewitt between 1986 and 1991, with the Princess publicly confessing to the relationship during her BBC Panorama interview in 1995. She married the then-Prince Charles in 1981, separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why a "Sweet" Photograph of Princess Diana and David Bowie Caused So Much Controversy for the Royal Family
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Princess Diana was regularly connected with celebrities, from dancing with John Travolta to sneaking into a gay bar with Freddie Mercury. But according to one photographer, Kensington Palace attempted to stop the release of a photo of Princess Diana posing with David Bowie for a very specific reason. Per The Telegraph, photographer Denis O'Regan snapped an iconic photo of Princess Diana with musician Bowie after she attended his Glass Spider concert at Wembley Stadium in June 1987. According to O'Regan, Princess Diana asked the photographer if Bowie would consider posing for a picture with her, to which he replied, "I think he would." O'Regan told the outlet, "I thought it was so funny," and he described Diana as "so sweet." But according to O'Regan, Kensington Palace tried to prevent the photo from being released. "So the next day, my agent got a call from [the] palace, saying, 'Don't use the pictures,' because word had gone out about James Hewitt," the photographer explained. At the time, Princess Diana was having an extramarital affair with Hewitt, her horseback riding instructor—a fact the palace presumably wanted to conceal. "So that's when it kind of erupted," O'Regan said. The photographer continued, "They just didn't want Diana in the was really [that] they didn't want to fuel the fire." According to O'Regan, Kensington Palace didn't want the world to know Diana attended Bowie's show with Hewitt. Reflecting on the unusual situation, the photographer told the outlet, "[E]ven though I didn't get the multi-million dollar shot of [Diana and Hewitt] together, because no one knew who he was obviously a tiny moment in history."
