Alan Pappé

Alan Pappé Alan Pappé passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 30th surrounded by the tremendous love of his family. Alan was born in Los Angeles, California. He loved gymnastics and while attending Fairfax High School, he won many state medals for his routines on the parallel bars. As a young photographer, he worked in the final days of the "Hollywood Studio System" as a special-projects stills photographer. On February 28, 1972, his portrait of Liza Minnelli (in the film Cabaret ) was both on the cover of Time magazine and Newsweek simultaneously earning him a special recognition from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery . He also gave us the iconic image of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John on the Grease movie poster. In his career, he shot over 35 major motion pictures and worked with the industries most talented actors and directors. During the 1960's and 70's he photographed rock legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and the Grateful Dead to name a few. In 1994, he came to Austin to work on a film with director Steven Soderbergh and decided to stay and became an active part of the Austin arts and music community. Alan not only captured classic moments in time that we all remember; he shared his love of nature with the world through his photographs of flowers, sunsets, creatures, and incredible scenic scenes. He was awestruck by the incredible simplistic beauty of Mother Nature and marveled in her wonder and mysteries. He gave us a perspective into her world unlike any other. Alan didn't just love music, he felt music, it was not a choice. Although he listened and played many genres of music, he was a true Jazzman at heart. He loved composing and arranging his own soulful pieces. If you were fortunate to catch one of his impromptu piano sessions (that could go on for over an hour at times), you knew that you had witnessed something truly special. It was as if the music flowed through him, out of his fingers and hung in the air. Alan was a magical spiritual soul and you knew this in his presence. He cared about people and loved his family. To know him was to feel his compassion and love. He understood the illusory nature of fame and financial power and chose to conduct his life peacefully with great dignity and simplicity. He graciously encouraged and supported younger artists. He was a true humanitarian and he embraced the world. He was a gift to those that shared his company. He only needed to smile once at you and you knew you were in the company of unconditional love and that all the rules would be fair. He is survived by his best friend, Debbie Perlman and her son, Travis; his children, Shaun, Remi, and Rani Pappé; and three grandchildren, Teresa, Bobby and Matthew. A gathering in his honor will take place on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at the Pfluger Pedestrian bridge (near Lamar) on Lady Bird Lake at 7:30 p.m. to share stories, say goodbye, and watch a sunset. His ashes will be spread at the base of a special tree in the woods above Deetjen's Inn in Big Sur, California later this year. Happy Trails Alan...Until we meet again...