Ioannis Vasilopoulos, the Greek designer who created album covers for some of the world’s biggest rock bands, has passed away at the age of 66. The news of his death was announced on social media by his family.
“Ioannis,” as he signed his works internationally, had an impressive career in the field of music illustration, with over 350 covers and artwork for top bands and artists, such as Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, the Allman Brothers, Uriah Heep, Styx, Blue Oyster Cult, Dream Theater, King Crimson, Starship, Yngwie Malmsteen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Quiet Riot, Extreme and Michael Bolton, among others.
Born in Athens, Greece, Ioannis arrived in the US in 1967 and grew up influenced by comic books, animation, fantasy art and music. Music inspired his admiration of album cover art, specifically that of Roger Dean and Storm Thorgerson (Hipgnosis).
While he was in college, he created his first record cover and art directed the music video for the group ART IN AMERICA, an MTV video breakout in 1983.
The cover would later be featured in the book “1000 Record Covers” by Michael Ochs. Ioannis’s work was featured in the books “Fade To Black” with Martin Popoff and “Get The Led Out,” written by Denny Somach, with a foreword by Carol Miller.
Ioannis Vasilopoulos and his award-winning campaigns, logos
Over the years, he created award-winning campaigns, logos, and art for his clients. These included Universal Music, Sony Music, Starz, IFC Films, EMI, Virgin and XM Satellite Radio. Ioannis has also designed over 350 record covers and merchandise for rock groups.
He had several shows of his works throughout the US and continued selling his artwork worldwide until his passing.
Ioannis is survived by his wife Lisa, daughter Maria, son-in-law Conor, grandchildren Henry and Jack, brother George, sister-in-law Gaylene, niece Sophia, and sister Elizabeth.
Ioannis’s family said in a statement: “The outpouring of love for Ioannis and his work is a great comfort. Ioannis wanted to do so many new things, and as a family, we have been tasked with continuing his work. His energy will live on through his incredible art. His bright smile and child-like excitement live on in his works. Ioannis will undoubtedly be remembered as one of rock’s all-time great artists.”
After his death, rock band Voivod—for whom he created artwork—took to their official Instagram page to pay tribute to the artist with a throwback picture of him holding one of his artworks. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ioannis Vasilopoulos, known professionally as Ioannis, an internationally renowned artist and designer,” they wrote.
“Ioannis helped Away with the layouts for our albums ‘Nothingface’ and ‘Angel Rat,’ which left an indelible mark on our band’s visual identity.
“His visionary artistry resonated throughout the rock and metal community, with his work adorning albums for bands such as Fates Warning, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep.”
