Richard Hamilton, known by many as “the father of pop art”, passed away today at the age of 89. Hamilton, a British artist, was perhaps most well-known for his minimalist design of The Beatles untitled “White Album” but is also credited as being a major influence on Andy Warhol, among others.

According to The Daily Mail, as recently as last week Hamilton had been working on a retrospective of his work that would have stopped in several cities throughout Europe and the United States. It is not yet known how the artist died, only that he was in Britain at the time.

Hamilton is considered the father of pop art because by most accounts, he coined the term in 1957. When asked how to define the style, Hamilton said:

Pop art is popular (designed for a mass audience), transient (short term solution), expendable (easily forgotten), low cost, mass produced, young (aimed at youth), witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous, big business.

This pop art style had been exemplified by Hamilton a year earlier in his collage with the not-so-catchy title Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? Along with The Beatles, Hamilton also had an interesting connection with Britain’s other big rock band: The Rolling Stones. In the late 60’s, Mick Jagger and Hamilton’s art dealer got into a bit of a disagreement with the police over the legality of possessing drugs. A photo of Jagger, in the back of a cop car shielding his face from the media swarm was immortalized in Hamilton’s painting Swingeing London (and no, that’s not a typo).

I’m not an art connoisseur by any means, so I will spare you my opinion on Richard Hamilton’s body of work. But, maybe in death he will find new appreciation for his work, as often happens with artists. Interestingly, Hamilton’s death coincides with the 15th anniversary of 2Pac’s death, someone who arguably enjoyed more success when he was no longer here to enjoy it. Maybe it’s having your eyes opened to the person’s career, or maybe it’s a bit of a morbid curiosity, or maybe it’s both, but the public is often drawn to the work of those recently departed. With Andy Warhol’s work finding more and more exposure , maybe Hamilton’s art can find a similar following, considering the style owes much to him. I have to think that for an artist, appreciation of their work would be the ultimate achievement, whether they’re here to see it happening or not.