Classic Pop Icons

We don’t usually stray beyond music here at Classic Pop Icons, but it would be remiss not to mention the death of Hollywood legend Dennis Hopper, who lost his battle with prostate cancer today, aged 74. Hopper was known as a hellraiser and non-conformist, but whether in a starring role or a bit part, he always did interesting work.

During his 50+ years in Hollywood, Dennis Hopper managed to appear in some of the coolest movies of all time, including:

• James Dean’s “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955) and “Giant” (1956)
• “Cool Hand Luke” (1967)
• “Easy Rider” (1969), which Hopper wrote and directed
• “Apocalypse Now” (1979), which marked his return to prominence
• “Rumble Fish” (1983)
• “Blue Velvet” (1986)
• “True Romance” (1993), where he almost stole the movie in the great “Sicilians” scene with Christopher Walken.

Flowers and mementoes have been left at Hopper’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he received just a few weeks ago. Many stars have also paid tribute to him on their websites or Twitter feeds.

“You take the great ones for granted until they’re gone. RIP Dennis Hopper” – Slash

“Dennis Hopper RIP. A maverick, a wonderful actor. You always got something unexpected from him. He will be missed … Easy Rider, Blue Velvet, True Romance, Crash..some of the fine work and much more from Dennis Hopper. Thank you DH.”- Marlee Matlin

“Dennis Hopper was born in Dodge City, and man, did he ever get out of Dodge… Dennis Hopper directed a screenplay written for Robert Mitchum, and it embodied the heart and soul of film noir.” – Roger Ebert

“TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, HOOSIERS, BLUE VELVET, RED ROCK WEST, EASY RIDER. Thanks for always making it seem simple & fun, Mr. Hopper. RIP.” – Kevin Smith

“Sweet Dennis Hopper. Bless you for your gifts you gave us all these years.” – Christina Applegate

“Just heard we lost Dennis Hopper at 74. Great actor, sad loss. ‘Sometimes he goes too far. He’s the first one to admit it.’ Apocalypse Now” – Simon Pegg

“RIP Dennis Hopper. Man, I’m getting tired of typing those three letters…” – Michael McKean

“So long Dennis … U taught me so much.” – Virginia Madsen.

Watchmojo.com put together a good short overview of Hopper’s career last month.

He will be missed.