Billy White Jr., the artist behind the cross logo featured on the cover of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction, has died.
Slash confirmed White Jr.’s death in a post on Instagram. The guitarist wrote, “RIP #BillyWhiteJr og designer of GNR cross logo & long time friend of the band. You will be missed.” GN’R bassist Duff McKagan wrote in the comments reacting to the news, “Ah…sh*t!”
White Jr.’s cause of death is currently unknown.
The iconic GN’R cross logo has been featured on every imaginable merch item from the band. Currently, at the Guns N’ Roses official online shop, the logo is on a cooler, a beach towel and a Zippo lighter.
In a 2016 interview, White Jr. explained his cousin connected him with Axl Rose. At the time, he was an art student in Long Beach, Calif. Rose had seen White Jr.’s work and asked if he could sketch a design for a tattoo he wanted to get. That design ended up being the iconic cross featuring the five skulls of the GN’R band members.
Of course, the skull cross wasn’t the original artwork for Appetite. The original artwork was a graphic painting by Robert Williams titled “Appetite for Destruction.” As a result of it impacting sales, the artwork was changed to the skull cross.
Appetite for Destruction became the biggest-selling debut album of all time. Keep scrolling to learn more about this classic album.
