The world received the very sad news today that Frank Kozik, a man perhaps best known for his unbelievable 1990s music posters, passed away.
The Week of the Games: Return to Hyrule
Monday 3:53 p.m
Kozik’s social media channels shared this statement earlier today:
We are devastated to announce that Frank Kozik passed away unexpectedly last Saturday.
FRANK WAS A MAN BIGGER THAN HIMSELF, AN ICON IN EACH OF THE GENRES HE WORKED IN. HE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED EVERY INDUSTRY HE PARTICIPATED IN. He was a CREATIVE FORCE OF NATURE. WE ARE SO HAPPY AND HONORED TO HAVE BEEN PART OF HIS JOURNEY AND HE WILL BE MISSED BEYOND WHAT WORDS COULD EVER SAY.
HE LOVES HIS WIFE, HIS CATS, CLASSIC MUSCLE CARS, MENTORING OTHERS AND DISNEYLAND. HIS IMPRESSIVE PRESENCE WILL MISS ALL WHO KNEW HIM. HIS LEGACY, LIKE ALL GREAT MASTERS, WILL LIVE ON THROUGH HIS ART AND OUR MEMORIES OF HIM.
MORE MEMORIAL INFORMATION COMING SOON.
FOR NOW, PLEASE RESPECT OUR PRIVACY DURING THIS TRYING TIME.
WITH LOVE,
SHARON AND THE CATS
Though best known to a wider audience for his concert and poster art, he has worked with virtually every good loud guitar band of the 1990s – from Nirvana to Stone Temple Pilots to Pearl Jam to Helmet to the Melvins (from which he also made some). Album cover for) – Kozik also left a lasting legacy in the music industry itself by founding Man’s Ruin Records in 1994, a label that housed bands such as Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and High on Fire before closing in 2001.
He was also a leader in the vinyl toy market, having worked as chief creative officer at Kidrobot – champions of the scene in the ’00s – after the company was bought by NECA in 2014 after it was on the brink of bankruptcy.
As a tribute to the man—whose work is literally hanging right next to my chair as I type this– Here is a collection of some of his best posters:
