Bruce Gowers is not a household name, but his work has been seen by the masses.
The veteran director passed away on January 15 at the age of 82. In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the cause of death was due to “complications from an acute respiratory infection.”
Gowers had a resume many in the entertainment production world only dream of. He directed 234 episodes of American Idol from 2002-2011. In 2009, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for his work on American Idol. Additionally, he was nominated for that award four other times.
Gowers had a knack for directing live specials, particularly awards shows. Over the years, he directed numerous installments of the MTV Video Music Awards and Movie Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and more.
Gowers helmed these massive projects, but he got his start directing music videos. The first artist he worked with was Queen in the ’70s. Among the first major credits to his name is directing the now classic music video for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Of course, plenty more music videos followed. Including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” here are ten iconic music videos directed by Gowers.