Liam Lynch

Liam Lynch was a South African photographer and filmmaker closely associated with the country's rock and punk scene, and above all with the Afrikaans band Fokofpolisiekar. He died on 10 October 2026 at the age of 50, after stage four cancer, according to a tribute from the band published two days later.

Lynch's connection with Fokofpolisiekar began in 2004, when he joined the group in Pretoria on their first tour to the north of the country. He continued documenting them until 2008, becoming part of the bond between the members and of how fans came to picture the band's early years. One of his best known contributions was the music video for the song I Shine (Holy), built from his images. He also made a photo-based video for Skynheilig that followed the band's 2006 European tour, and his stills were later animated for the 2009 documentary Forgive Them for They Know Not What They Do.

In later years he remained a familiar figure around the scene. In 2018 he collaborated again with the band on a photo exhibition and motion piece around the recording of the short release Droom Hoog, shooting on a Fujifilm X100F at Sunset Studios in Stellenbosch and at selected shows. Commentators and galleries described his portraits of South African rockers as favouring emotion and honesty over the usual cliches of music photography, and his work was exhibited as a visual record of a city and a scene in flux. He was based for much of his career in Johannesburg, where much of that rock culture was centred.

According to Fokofpolisiekar's tribute, Lynch contacted band member Jaco S. Venter about two months before his death to share a stage four cancer diagnosis that had already spread through his body and left doctors without further treatment options. Friends were able to visit him in hospital. He died peacefully in his sleep early on the morning of Saturday, 10 October 2026. The band's public farewell on 12 October thanked him for everything he had given their story and offered condolences to his family and friends, calling him more than a familiar face behind the camera.