Tom Wright, whose varied career included photography of numerous rock legends as well as time spent as a tour manager for The Who and other significant artists, has passed away. 

He was 78 years old.

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Tom Wright cause of death

He died from natural causes.

Don Carleton, executive director of the Briscoe Center for American History, paid tribute to Wright on the organization’s website.   

Wright chose the University of Texas facility to house his library of over 120,000 pictures and thousands of rock music tapes and phonographic recordings.

According to the statement, Wright’s “compelling and personal images of musicians, crowd, and concert venues give a real insider’s insight into the history of rock music from the 1960s through the 1990s.”

In the early 1960s, Wright studied photography at England’s Ealing Art School. He met fellow student Pete Townshend, the founder of The Who, and they became friends through their love of American blues legends. In 1967, Wright was hired as The Who’s official photographer.

Tom Wright wife and children

Tom’s wife and children survive him

Wright went on to tour with, manage, and photograph bands and the road life. Because of his understanding, guitarist Joe Walsh dubbed Wright “the Jack Kerouac of rock and roll photography.”

Roadwork: Rock and Roll Turned Inside Out, a collection of his photographs and road anecdotes, was released in 2007.

Tom Wright net worth

Wright was 4 million richer when he died.

There were no memorial arrangements.