Martin Elliot, the man behind cheeky Tennis Girl picture, dies at 63

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:54 AM on 02nd April 2010

Martin Elliot took the infamous shot, simply titled Tennis Girl, featuring his then girlfriend, 18-year-old Fiona Butler, in 1976.

The image instantly shot to fame and went on to sell more than two million copies worldwide.

Mr Elliot died peacefully at his home in Truro, Cornwall, last week following a 10-year battle with cancer, aged 63.

Cheeky: Martin Elliot's photo of a girlfriend became one of the world's most iconic images

His widow Noelle, who met her husband in 1987, more than a decade after Tennis Girl was taken, described his early days as 'crazy', saying the image brought him worldwide acclaim.

'Martin sold the image to Athena - who turned it into a poster - but he retained the copyright. I am still getting royalties to this day.

'They're only a few pence but because it has sold all over the world we have done well out of it,' she said.

But the poster's acclaim also had its downside, as people believed he would be too expensive to commission for work.

Mr Elliot studied at the Birmingham School of Photography alongside Terence Donovan, who is best known for his video for Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love and pictures of the late Princess of Wales.

Mr Elliot successfully forged a career in advertising with a studio in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter and retired to Cornwall 11 years ago after living in Stourbridge and Portishead.

Noelle said: 'Martin always felt he had the good things before the business became overrun with image-conscious people and cut throat deals.

'He had a marvelous sense of humour and was a great joker. He always thought he would get better.'

Ms Butler, now 50 and married with children, said of her claim to fame: 'I can remember the day (it was taken) quite clearly. When the picture got so popular I was quite amused that something taken that afternoon could get so big.

'I like the fact it's got a bit of an air of mystery about it... It was just a picture of a very ordinary sort of girl and there's something in that that appeals to people.'