Iggy Pop Then & Now: See Photos Of The Rock Icon Throughout His Life

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April 20, 2023 9:50AM EDT

Happy birthday Iggy Pop! See photos of the legendary rock icon from his younger years to today.

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Iggy Pop’s Life In Pictures: See Photos Of The Punk Icon Throughout His Incredible Career

Iggy Pop’s Life In Pictures: See Photos Of The Punk Icon Throughout His Incredible Career — There will only ever be one Iggy Pop, born April 21, 1947. Known for helping pioneer the punk genre by fronting his rock band, The Stooges, Iggy (born Jim Osterberg Jr.) inspired countless with songs like “Search and Destroy,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “TV Eye” and “Raw Power.” But, when The Stooges broke up for a second and seemingly final time in 1974, Iggy wasn’t done. With help from his friend and spiritual soulmate David Bowie, Iggy launched a solo career that blessed the world with such now-iconic tracks like “Lust For Life,” “The Passenger,” and “China Girl” (which Bowie re-recorded in 1983.)

In the decades that followed, Iggy proved he was more than just rock’s shirtless wildman. Over the next twenty(!) albums, he experimented with new wave, synth-rock, hard rock/heavy metal, post-punk, and the punk sound he helped launch. With bands like Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, and Siouxsie Sioux citing him as an influence, Iggy’s legacy is undeniable.

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Iggy Pop In 1977

Iggy Pop In 1977 — Iggy Pop, seen here performing at London’s Rainbow Theatre in 1977. Three years prior to this photo, Iggy’s band, The Stooges, disintegrated for the second time. This spurred him to start a solo career, and he released two albums – ‘The Idiot’ and ‘Lust For Life’ – in 1977.

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Iggy Pop In 1987

Iggy Pop In 1987 — In the decade following his debut solo albums, Iggy got busy. He released four more – ‘New Values’ (1978), ‘Soldier’ (1979), ‘Party’ (1980), ‘Instinct’ (1987) – which received a range of criticism, from good to middling. By the late 1980s, he had enjoyed his first hit single, “Real Wild Child (Wild One).”

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Iggy Pop In1988

Iggy Pop In1988 — Iggy Pop performs in Canada in October 1988. Iggy would start the nineties with one of his biggest songs of his career: “Candy,” a duet with Kate Pierson of The B-52s.

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Iggy Pop In 1990

Iggy Pop In 1990 — In addition to his legacy as the ‘Godfather of Punk,’ Iggy has a remarkable film career. In 1990, Iggy appeared as Belvedere Ricketts in John Waters’ ‘Cry-Baby,’ a film starring Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, and Amy Locane.

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Iggy Pop in 1996

Iggy Pop in 1996 — In addition to his appearance in Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Coffee and Chigarettes’ and ‘Dead Man,’ Iggy would spend the ‘90s appearing in films like ‘Tank Girl,’ ‘Hardware,’ and 1996’s sequel to ‘The Crow,’ ‘The Crow: City of Angels.’

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Iggy Pop On The Stage

Iggy Pop On The Stage — Iggy Pop is known for this look: torn jeans, long hair, and no shirt. It’s a look he would maintain well into his seventies, along with the energy level that made him one of rock’s greatest wildmen.

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Iggy Pop With His Son, Eric

Iggy Pop With His Son, Eric — Iggy Pop has been married three times: Wendy Weisberg (1968); Suchi Asano (1984-1999); and to Nina Alu (m. 2008). In 1970, Iggy became a father, welcoming a son – Eric – with Paulette Benson.

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Iggy Pop In 2000

Iggy Pop In 2000 — Iggy Pop is known for being one of the longest enduring performers in modern rock. Here, he performs at 2000’s Park Pop Festival in Glasgow, Scotland. Keep in mind that Iggy began his career in the 1960s.

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Iggy Pop and Donatella Versace In 2007

Iggy Pop and Donatella Versace In 2007 — Donatella Versace and Iggy Pop attend the Swarovski Fashion Rocks For The Prince’s Trust event in 2007. Though Iggy is known for not wearing many clothes while performing, he is a semi-secret fashion icon. In 202, he teamed with Gucci for a campaign featuring Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky. Vogue even called him a “suit maestro.”

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Iggy, Madonna & Justin Timberlake in 2010

Iggy, Madonna & Justin Timberlake in 2010 — Iggy Pop, Madonna, and Justin Timberlake attend the 23rd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Iggy and The Stooges would be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

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Billie Joe Armstrong & Iggy Pop in 2010

Billie Joe Armstrong & Iggy Pop in 2010 — When The Stooges – Iggy Pop, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Dave Alexander, and James Williamson – were inducted into the Rock Hall in 2010, the band performed some of its biggest hits alongside those they inspired. Here, Iggy and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong sing. A year before this, Green Day appeared on Iggy’s 2003 album, ‘Skull Ring.’

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Iggy Pop In 2014

Iggy Pop In 2014 — Iggy Pop attends the GQ Men of the Year Awards in association with Hugo Boss at the Royal Opera House in London, Britain. He attended the 2014 event with his wife, Nina Alu.

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Iggy Pop with Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach, Nina Alu & John Varvatos in 2014

Iggy Pop with Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach, Nina Alu & John Varvatos in 2014 — Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach, Iggy Pop, Nina Alu, and John Varvatos pose together in 2014. This group attended the opening of John Varvatos flagship store in London, Britain.

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Iggy Pop In 2016

Iggy Pop In 2016 — In 2016, Jim Jarmusch released ‘Gimmie Danger,’ a documentary about The Stooges. Here, Iggy arrives for a screening of the film at the 69 th Annual Cannes Film Festival.

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Iggy Pop In 2013

Iggy Pop In 2013 — In 2003, Iggy reunited with the Asheton brothers to reform The Stooges (along with Minutemen bassist, Mike Watt.) The reunion resulted in two new albums – 2007’s ‘The Weirdness’ and 2013’s ‘Ready To Die.’ The latter would be the last outing for The Stooges, since Ron Asheton died in 2009 and his brother, Scott Ashton, passed away in 2014.

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Iggy & Nina In 2017

Iggy & Nina In 2017 — Nina Alu and Iggy Pop arrive at the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California. It was one of the rare times that Iggy wore a shirt.

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Iggy In 2018

Iggy In 2018 — Iggy Pop performing in concert as part of the 52nd Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, on July 3, 2018. This was two years after ‘Post Pop Depression,’ the album that saw him return to his rock sound.

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Iggy In 2020

Iggy In 2020 — Iggy Pop attends I NEED MORE Presents – ‘Footprints in February’ with Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry in February 2020. I Need More was a punk rock boutique launched by designer Jimmy Webb, who would pass away later that year due to cancer.

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Iggy Pop In 2022

Iggy Pop In 2022 — Iggy Pop proves that he can’t be kept down. Here, he performs at the Palazzo Te, Mantova, Italy in August 2022. At the start of 2023, he released his 19th solo studio album, ‘Every Loser.’

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