British music photographer Mick Rock, whose iconic images of artists including David Bowie and the Sex Pistols earned him the nickname "the man who shot the 70s", has died aged 72, his family said Friday.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share our beloved psychedelic renegade Mick Rock has made the Jungian journey to the other side," his family said in a message posted on his Twitter page.

"He was a photographic poet – a true force of nature who spent his days doing exactly what he loved, always in his own delightfully outrageous way.

Rock's famous photograph of rock group Queen. Photo: Wordpress.com

"He was a mythical creature; the likes of which we shall never experience again."

Johnny Marr, guitarist with British indie group The Smiths, tweeted "Goodbye for now my friend and comrade Mick Rock. The visionary poet," along with a picture of the pair.

Rock was born in west London in 1948 and graduated from the prestigious Cambridge University with a degree in Medieval and Modern Languages.

He developed an interest in photography while at university, shooting local gigs.

One of the most iconic of Mick Rock's photographs - David Bowie (left), Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Photo: Courtesy of Behind the Lens

Rock went on to create album covers for US rock legends Lou Reed and Iggy Pop along with country star Waylon Jennings.

Other subjects included rapper Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk, Debbie Harry, Ozzie Osbourne and close friend David Bowie.

Queen's iconic video for Bohemian Rhapsody was a recreation of a photograph he took of the band.