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Ronnie Rondell, Jr., the Hollywood stuntman famously set on fire for Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” cover, has died at the age of 88.
His death was announced by his family on the website of Hedges‑Scott‑Millard Funeral Home, a Missouri-based business. Rondell was listed as a resident of Camdenton, Missouri, at the time of his death.
Rondell is survived by his wife, Mary Smith, whom he married in 1969, along with one son and three grandchildren, his obituary reported. He was preceded in death by his son Ronald and both of his parents.
“Ronnie was a professional stuntman for many years and during his career he was a director and stuntman coordinator,” the obituary reads.
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Ronnie Rondell Jr. was set on fire 15 times during the 1975 shoot for Pink Floyd’s iconic “Wish You Were Here” album cover. Seen left is an image from the photoshoot, similar to the album cover. (Rahman Hassani/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images; Kevin Winter via Getty Images)
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rondell appeared in movies including “Blazing Saddles,” “Thelma & Louise,” and “Lethal Weapon,” in addition to “The Matrix Reloaded,” and “The Hunt for Red October.”
The longtime stuntman started his own company, called Stunts Unlimited, in 1970.
Most famously, Rondell was the man set ablaze on the cover of the 1975 Pink Floyd album “Wish You Were Here,” a fan-favorite considered one of the best progressive rock albums of the decade.
According to photographer Aubrey Powell, Rondell once noted that the stunt was particularly dangerous.
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Off-screen, Rondell was married to Mary Smith for over 50 years. They are seen here in 2004. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
“It’s dangerous for a man to stand still on fire,” Powell quoted Rondell as saying, per The Times.
“Normally you’re running and the fire’s spreading behind you, or you’re falling and the fire is above you, or you can always make out with camera angles that the stunt person is closer to the fire than they actually are. But to stand still…?”
The cover, shot at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California, was meant to represent two music industry executives making a deal – a reference to the song “Have a Cigar.”
According to the Times, the photograph took fifteen attempts, and Rondell was coated in gasoline each time, and lost one of his eyebrows during the final take.
Actor Burt Reynolds presents the Taurus Honoray Lifetime Achievement Award to stuntman Ronnie Rondell Jr. in 2004. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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“Ronnie was very gracious about it, considering,” Powell added.