Early years Beatles photographer Astrid Kirchherr dead at 81

Kirchherr posing in front of her photograph of John Lennon taken in the early 1960s in Germany. Photo: AFP

German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, whose striking images of The Beatles in the early 1960s helped turn them into cultural icons, has died aged 81, German media reported Saturday.

Kirchherr passed away in Hamburg following a serious illness, those close to her told several media outlets, including the weekly Die Zeit and NDR public television.