Ronnie Rondell Jr Dies at 88

Ronnie Rondell Jr, a veteran Hollywood stuntman known for daring feats and the iconic Pink Floyd album cover, has died at the age of 88.

Ronnie Rondell Jr Dies at 88 After a Lifetime of Bold Stunt Craft

Ronnie Rondell Jr, 88, died earlier this week in a care home in Osage Beach, Missouri, his family said. Rondell built a long career across Hollywood, appearing in films such as How the West Was Won, Ice Station Zebra, Kings of the Sun, Diamonds Are Forever, Blazing Saddles, Lethal Weapon, Thelma & Louise, Speed and Star Trek First Contact. He was the man shown on fire on the front cover of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here in 1975, a moment that remains one of rock and cinema’s most recognizable images; his moustache was singed during the shoot on the Warner Bros studio lot in Burbank. In later years he remained active on screen, including a notable Matrix Reloaded car chase in 2003, a sequence that his son RA Rondell helped coordinate.

Rondell’s career spanned not only high risk stunts but a wide range of disciplines, from diving and gymnastics to hang gliding. One of his famed early moments came in Kings of the Sun (1963), where a burning pole stunt captured attention, and another in Shenandoah (1965) showed him midair above a cannon. He founded Stunts Unlimited, an association that represented top stunt professionals, and his family lineage runs deep in cinema with relatives who continued in the craft. His background includes time in the US Navy, where he specialized in scuba diving and mine force demolition. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Rondell, his son RA Rondell, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Rondell’s death brings into focus the long, risky trade that powers the big screen. Stunt work has evolved from improvised bravado to a structured craft with safety standards, training, and unions, yet the core appeal remains risk and precision. His life illustrates how a single image or stunt can ripple across cinema history and popular culture, turning a performer into part of a defining moment.

The Pink Floyd cover stands as a cross-cultural artifact, showing how the boundary between music and film can blur into a shared iconography. Rondell’s legacy also underscores the multi-generational nature of stunt work, with sons and relatives continuing in the field and honoring a tradition that blends artistry with danger. As studios look to new generations of action and visual effects, Rondell’s career offers a reminder of the human cost and the craft that makes those moments possible.

Highlights

The screen remembers the names who risk everything for a moment of magic.