Musicians and music fans from across Canada are paying tribute to Dee Lippingwell, a trailblazer in the world of concert photography over the past 50-plus years.

A 性视界传媒 resident, Lippingwell died Thursday (May 9) after a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis earlier this year. Family members say she鈥檇 been in hospital and then moved to hospice at Laurel Place Care Centre in April.

Lippingwell was 78, according to Peggy Sulivan, friend and business partner.

鈥淪he deserves tributes because she was wonderful, and always had a great story to tell,鈥� Sulivan said Friday.

In recent years Lippingwell worked to catalogue images of the estimated 3,500 concerts she鈥檇 photographed since her very first, a Pink Floyd gig in Vancouver back in 1973.

The Rolling Stones, Queen, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Eric Clapton, KISS, Van Halen 鈥� Lippingwell photographed them all over the past five decades, for publications around the world.

鈥淲hen I started, it was really difficult for me to get in because everybody thought I was a groupie,鈥� she said in 2012. 鈥淚 kept saying, 鈥楴o, I鈥檓 a mom and I want to do this for my career.鈥欌��

Three years ago, at age 75, with no concerts to photograph during the COVID pandemic, Lippingwell began sorting thousands of images for a third book chronicling the glory days of Merritt Mountain Music Festival, which she photographed with the help of husband Paul Shaw.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

鈥楳ountain鈥� memories: 性视界传媒 photog鈥檚 book recalls 鈥榗razy-ass scene鈥� of Merritt music fest.
Campground C party zone and more remembered in Dee Lippingwell鈥檚 third book.

鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)

Goodnight鈿★笍 (Good morning) 馃摳credit: Dee Lippingwell)

鈥� Spaceboy鈽咅煆筹笍鈥嶐煂� (@_spBOY)

鈥淭he power of Freddie鈥檚 amazing voice combined with his astounding ability to command every second of the audience鈥檚 attention was amazing to capture on film. One of the most talented artists whose music will live on forever.鈥� - Dee Lippingwell

鈥� Majik Bus (@MajikBusEnt)

Lippingwell鈥檚 1987 book, 鈥淭he Best Seat in the House,鈥� was followed in 2012 by the self-published 鈥淔irst Three Songs鈥� No Flash,鈥� a title that referenced the instructions typically given to concert photographers before a show begins.

鈥淚 shot the Rollings Stones seven times, right, and all the times I shot Loverboy and Trooper and all the local bands, it鈥檚 thousands of concerts,鈥� Lippingwell said in 2021. 鈥淚 have a storage locker and it鈥檚 full of filing cabinets, negatives and prints, all that. It鈥檚 all pretty much organized for when I die 鈥� it鈥檒l all be donated somewhere,鈥� she added with a laugh. 鈥淢aybe somebody will start a museum.鈥�

Early on, Bob Geldof was an admirer of her work, but didn鈥檛 have a chance to hire her at Vancouver鈥檚 Georgia Straight before the then-editor/writer bolted back to England to pursue a career on concert stages and, eventually, plan the Live Aid concert. 鈥淲hen he came back with the Boomtown Rats to play the Commodore,鈥� she recalled, 鈥渉e saw me in the crowd and (mouthed), 鈥楢h, you got the job!鈥欌��

Very sad to learn the passing of - she was a legend of Photography in BC and a local pioneer in what was really solely a man鈥檚 game in the 1970s. Her concert photography will be viewed and appreciated for decades to come.

鈥� Aaron Chapman (@TheAaronChapman)

On the job, she鈥檇 been bruised and even suffered broken ribs. Overzealous fans of the Stones in Buffalo nearly prevented her from getting a decent shot of Mick Jagger in 1981. 鈥淚 turned around to face this belt buckle of a biker. He was a real angel because he lifted me on his shoulders to get that shot. Those were the fastest shots I ever got 鈥� I wanted down from there as soon as possible.鈥�

, Lippingwell made a weekly habit of posting concert photos from years gone by, and sold photo-filled books, T-shirts, scarves and other merchandise .

In a 2021 interview, Lippingwell said her bedtime is a lot earlier than it was years ago, but kept active and felt good for a septuagenarian.

鈥淚鈥檓 75 years young,鈥� she boasted. 鈥淚鈥檓 good, I go to the gym, I bowl when the leagues are back on. Sometimes my husband and I go bowling now on our own, so we stay active. But this book, it鈥檚 a pretty massive job I鈥檝e been doing, so that鈥檚 taking up a lot of my time. Some of it鈥檚 film and some of it鈥檚 digital, so going through all that is a job. There aren鈥檛 enough hours in the day or days in the week, never is.鈥�

Lippingwell is survived by husband Paul, sons Marc and Chris, grandchildren Shauna and Tyler Lippingwell, and brother David. She died peacefully with Paul at her side, Shauna posted on Facebook.

鈥淲e would like to thank all of her friends for the messages over the last few months, we made sure she got each one,鈥� Shauna posted. 鈥淚n lieu of flowers, please make a donation in memory of Dee to the Happy Liver Society or Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue. Celebration of life at a later date. Tributes and stories about Dee can be sent to noflashpublishing@gmail.com and will be passed onto the family.鈥�