Stuntman behind Wish You Were Here dies at 88

Ronnie Rondell Jr., the Hollywood stuntman behind the Wish You Were Here cover, dies at age 88.

Ronnie Rondell the Wish You Were Here Stuntman Dies at 88

Ronnie Rondell Jr., a veteran Hollywood stuntman, has died at 88 in a Missouri senior living facility. Over a career spanning more than four decades and more than 200 credits, Rondell is best known for a single, enduring image: the Wish You Were Here cover, shot on a Warner Bros. backlot in 1975, where he was lit on fire during a staged handshake with a suited figure. The flames burned during multiple takes, and wind and other factors forced several re-dos. Rondell later recalled that the stunt was safer than it looked thanks to a protective suit, though it left him with an eyebrow and part of his mustache missing. The photo, conceived by Hipgnosis designers Storm Thorgesen and Audrey Powell, is routinely cited as one of the greatest album covers of all time.

Rondell's long film career covered a wide range of action and stunt work, with credits in Lethal Weapon, Batman & Robin, Twister, The Crow, Predator 2, They Live, The Karate Kid, and Commando, among others. He retired in 2000 but returned for a final chase sequence in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), a project in which his son R.A. Rondell served as supervising stunt coordinator. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Rondell’s death invites reflection on the quiet labor behind pop culture. The Wish You Were Here image fused risk, artistry, and a bold era of album packaging that treated stunts as a visual tool as much as a risk. The moment remains a cultural touchstone not because it embodies a dramatic plot twist, but because it made a simple handshake feel cinematic and irreversible. In memory, Rondell’s name sits alongside the other performers who do the dangerous, unseen work that the camera rarely thanks.

The piece also highlights a larger shift in film memory. Today fans know the image more than the person who crafted it. Recognizing Rondell and his peers helps correct a long-standing imbalance between on screen spectacle and the people who make it possible. It raises questions about how we value stunt work and whether the craft has evolved with safer standards and better compensation, while preserving the bold spirit that defined classic era cinema.

Highlights

The flame faded, but the craft of stunt work endures in film history.