Do you know what ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s rock legends look like today?
Rock gods of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s attracted millions of screaming fans. Even today, those loyal fans will still line up to see a performance. It wasn’t just the music that attracted them. It was also the musicians’ bad-boy personas and good looks. Did rockin’ out so hard night after night affect their looks?
Keep reading to see how these rock legends’ looks fared over the years. Do you remember these rock stars from the classic eras of yesteryear?
Axl Rose Welcomed Everyone To The Jungle
Guns N’ Roses is arguably one of the most popular hard rock bands to come out of the ’80s. Leading the charge with his powerful vocals was none other than Axl Rose, co-founder and dream-boat of the band. Their first album, Appetite for Destruction, still holds the record for the best-selling debut album of all time, selling more than 18 million copies.
After you get over the angst behind the lyrics and the many guitar riffs, you’re left watching a ridiculously attractive guy on stage doing what he did best. It definitely didn’t hurt that Axl had the long-hair rock-legend thing going for him! Too bad he couldn’t stay young forever.
Axl Rose Now
Axl Rose, along with the original Guns N’ Roses lineup, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 but did not attend the ceremony. Rose even went as far as writing that the ceremony “doesn’t appear to be somewhere I’m actually wanted or respect,” speaking of his falling out with his former bandmates.
Thankfully, all of the bad blood was forgotten! The band embarked on a tour in 2023 and their music continues to be a significant part of pop culture.
Paul McCartney Could Do It All
Although Paul McCartney was the bassist and keyboardist for The Beatles, he was also famously one of the band’s primary songwriters alongside John Lennon. However, even those significant accolades don’t quite express how important McCartney was to the band.
In addition to being the de facto leader of The Beatles, he led the charge in their ambitious studio production and could play any of the other instruments his bandmates could. Indeed, that’s precisely what he sometimes found himself doing during the latter years of The Beatles, as internal dissatisfaction led to their temporary absences. While there many reasons for this from alternate creative ambitions and personal demons, one factor could fairly be described as McCartney’s increasing control and perfectionism.
Paul McCartney Now
Following the breakup on The Beatles, McCartney formed another band called Wings that featured his first wife, Linda Eastman. Although he found significant continued success with them, he and Eastman parted ways with their bandmates in 1981. Eastman would pass away in 1998.
The following years would see him grow more creatively eclectic, incorporating orchestral compositions and electronica into his repertoire. In addition to collaborating with Rihanna and Kanye West for the hit song “FourFiveSeconds,” McCartney has continued touring and releasing new music as recently as 2025.
Steven Tyler’s Screaming Made Him Iconic
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler’s distinctive vocal range helped establish the band’s sound, and indeed, Aerosmith found success right from its inception in the early ’70s.
The band experienced a mid-career lull in the early ’80s, but came back later in the decade with a vengeance, releasing a string of commercially successful albums.
Steven Tyler Now
Aerosmith is one of a select few bands that has multiple decades of album releases under their belt. Aside from a brief period in the early ’80s, the core members of the band – Tyler, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford – have been performing together for more than half a century.
While Tyler is well into his 70s at this point, he shows no indications that he’ll retire or stop touring.
Robert Plant Brought Led Zeppelin’s Words To Life
While it was certainly hard to overstate how impressive Robert Plant’s vocals were throughout his time with Led Zeppelin between 1968 and 1980, they weren’t his only contribution to the band. While his bandmates came through with impressive and even virtuosic musicianship, the lyrical themes and literary influences can all be attributed to Plant.
Led Zeppelin were a foundational group for heavy metal, and the epic fantasy elements of their music were as much a part of why as the elaborate guitar solos.
Robert Plant Now
Following drummer Jon Bonham’s sudden passing, Led Zeppelin broke up and Plant was considering abandoning his music career to become a teacher. However, some encouragement from and collaboration with Phil Collins led him to embark on a successful solo career.
At times, Plant would reunite with guitarist Jimmy Page throughout the ’90s, as well as forming other bands like The Honeydrippers (also with Page) and Strange Sensation. During the late 2000s and from 2019 to the present, Plant would also embrace quieter music through his collaborations with Alison Krauss and through his current band, Saving Grace.
U2 Was Lucky to Have Bono
The powerful lyrics and vocals of Bono helped make U2 one of the biggest rock bands in the world. When the Irish band first started off, they typically sang about political and social injustices while using religious imagery. The themes reflected Bono and the other band members as people, as they are well known for their activism as well as their rebellious yet spiritual beliefs.
It’s no surprise that Bono was considered to be one of the most attractive rock gods of the ’70s and ’80s. He had the Lost Boys vampire hairstyle going on, along with his smolder while singing. It was a deadly combination.
Bono Now
After landing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and winning 22 Grammy Awards, Bono didn’t slow down. U2 is still going strong, with Bono doing some projects on the side, including the establishment of EDUN, a socially responsible clothing line, with his wife Ali Hewson. In 2007, Bono was even made an honorary knight of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
As long as he keeps making music and gracing us with his brilliance, he’ll always look like the rock legend of his younger years.
Eric Clapton Got His Start in the Early ’60s
While Eric Clapton wouldn’t become a household name until the ’70s, this 1964 photo shows a fresh-faced, teenage Clapton during his time with the Yardbirds.
Clapton played with the Yardbirds for a couple of years before moving on to John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and then Cream.
Eric Clapton Now
Eric Clapton has been a member of numerous bands and musical collectives during his storied career, but he’s likely best known for his solo work.
Never one to take too long of a hiatus, Clapton has continued to release albums – both solo and collaborative – over the course of his career.
Pete Townshend practically is The Who
While Roger Daltrey is The Who’s lead singer, Pete Townshend also takes up a portion of the band’s vocal duties while also defining their sound with his revolutionary guitar playing. But even combining those contributions and his keyboard work doesn’t scratch the surface of how essential his presence in the band is.
As The Who’s de facto leader, Townshend also sets the tone for the band’s output as their primary songwriter. That means that the phases of their time together, including the two rock operas The Who has been responsible for (Tommy and Quadrophenia) were conceived by him.
Pete Townshend Now
Despite losing drummer Keith Moon to an overdose in 1978 and bassist John Entwhistle to a heart attack in 2002, The Who has remained a surprisingly reliable touring act to the present day. Although they went a long time without releasing a studio album since 1982’s It’s Hard, that changed with the release of Endless Wire in 2006. The band has since put out another album called Who in 2019.
In addition to his work with The Who, Townshend has also released seven studio albums between 1972 and 1993. He has also had six books published between 1977 and 2019, the most recent of which being the novel The Age Of Anxiety.
With the ’60s Came Mick Jagger
Rolling Stones lead singer, Mick Jagger, has been described as “one of the most popular and influential frontmen in the history of rock & roll.” Jagger has one of those distinctive voices that allowed him to climb the ladder in the entertainment industry.
Put Keith Richards next to him, and you have an unstoppable rock band that owned the ’60s music scene. Then, tack on the long hair and the British accent, and you have a heartthrob rock legend! It’s too bad the band look didn’t follow him into his later years.
Mick Jagger Now
Mick Jagger has been rocking out since the ’60s, so a little over half a century! To say he doesn’t know the industry front and back would be a lie. This past decade has especially been hectic for the Rolling Stones frontman. He’s written songs for television and continues to tour with the Stones, as recently as in 2024!
Jagger is still rockin’ the socks off everyone who attends a Rolling Stones concert, so we can let it slide that he doesn’t look like he did way back when.
Keith Richards Now
Unlike many of the bands who built their foundations in the ’60s, The Rolling Stones remain together and continue to tour and release music even after the death of founding drummer Charlie Watts in 2021. Their most recent album, Hackney Diamonds from 2023, had the distinction of being the band’s 14th number-one album in the United Kingdom.
Richards has also occasionally acted, most prominently in two entries of the Pirates Of The Caribbean series as Jack Sparrow’s father. While The Rolling Stones and other production and collaboration work does a lot to keep him busy, he’s also released occasional solo albums, with the most recent of them being 2015’s Crosseyed Heart.
Bruce Springsteen Was One of the Biggest Stars of the ’80s
“The Boss” first emerged as a major musical talent in the ’70s as the frontman of the E Street Band. The band’s early releases were well received by critics, but failed to attract much popular acclaim.
That all changed in 1975 with the album Born to Run, following it up with 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town. These albums were enormously successful and set the stage for Springsteen to become a musical megastar.
Bruce Springsteen Now
The tireless Springsteen has released albums, both as solo projects and collaboratively with his E Street bandmates. Since his hard-rocking ’80s heyday, he’s continued to explore various genres.
Now in his 70s, Springsteen still makes regular appearances at various shows. His 2023-2025 tour with the E Street Band was their most successful tour ever, grossing $729.7 million overall.
Peter Gabriel Is Ambitious With And Without Genesis
Between 1968 and 1975, Peter Gabriel brought impressive multi-instrumental chops, passionate vocals, and dense, iconoclastic and sometimes mind-bending songwriting to his band, Genesis. Following the release of their masterpiece The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, however, Gabriel embarked on a solo career that would prove just as successful and creatively rich.
After coming in hot with “Solsbury Hill” as the lead single of the first of his four self-titled albums, Gabriel released his best-selling album So in 1986. Five years before the massive success of singles like “In Your Eyes” and “Sledgehammer,” Gabriel founded WOMAD, a festival celebrating world music, a passion of his that would only grow stronger as his career went on.
Peter Gabriel Now
Following the release of So, Gabriel continued the previous precedent set by the album Birdy and began scoring movies in earnest, with the 1989 album Passion encompassing his soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s controversial 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ alongside some supplementary materials. His other works in this vein were OVO, the soundtrack to the ambitious Millennium Dome Show in 2000, and the soundtrack to the Australian film Rabbit-Proof Fence (titled The Long Walk Home) in 2002.
Yet while Gabriel’s many pursuits slowed down his output of studio albums, he’s nonetheless released five of them since So. Most impressively, he released his first original studio album in 21 years with 2023’s I/O to great critical acclaim at the age of 73.
David Coverdale Had The Ultimate Rocker Look
If you look up “rock legend style of the ’70s and ’80s” in the dictionary, a picture of David Coverdale might be there. He had long, curly hair, paired with tight clothing — standard rocker attire. Coverdale started his music career with the band Deep Purple, moving on to the band he is most known for, Whitesnake, in 1978.
Ironically, Whitesnake was originally a touring band that helped promote Coverdale’s solo album. It later turned into a full-fledged band, with the release of their first EP Snakebite. In 1991, Coverdale disbanded the group indefinitely, saying he wanted “private time to reflect.”
David Coverdale Now
As most famous rock bands end up doing, the group got back together. They reunited for an American and European tour in December 2022, led by Coverdale. Afterward, the band continued to tour, even as musicians continuously rotated in and out of the lineup there was one person that stayed constant, Coverdale.
Here’s John Mellencamp Before He Was John Mellencamp
The man born as John J. Mellencamp was known, at least during the early years of his musical career, as Johnny Cougar. This name was changed to John Cougar, then John Cougar Mellencamp, and finally John Mellencamp.
With or without the “Cougar” moniker, Mellencamp became known for his soulful heartland rock, forming a midwestern counterpart to Bruce Springsteen’s New Jersey-inflected songs.
John Mellencamp Now
To date, John Mellencamp has sold over 60 million albums worldwide and has maintained a steady release schedule over the years.
Outside of his recording projects, Mellencamp has also made a name for himself as one of the founding members of Farm Aid – a cause close to his heart, as he grew up in the farming country of Indiana.
Rick Springfield Had People Wanting To Be Jessie’s Girl
In the ’80s, Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” landed him a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. His melodic voice paired with his heartthrob rock legend good looks had fans wishing they were, in fact, Jessie’s girl (whoever that may be because he never says). He followed up with four more Top 10 U.S. hits.
With his good looks, Springfield had everything going for him in the ’80s and ’90s, including acting jobs. He played Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime soap opera General Hospital and also starred in the television series High Tide. It seems as though the television networks knew what was “in style.”
Rick Springfield Now
Rick Springfield took care of himself, giving him a silver fox rock legend sort of vibe. He’s still going strong with his music and acting careers, releasing an album in 2021 called Jack Chrome and the Darkness Waltz. He continues to tour and has been performing acoustic sets with fellow musician Richard Marx.
Because he still has his dreamy good looks, Springfield has been gracing both the big and small screens. He’s been involved in a few critically acclaimed television shows, including True Detective, American Horror Story, and Supernatural. Most recently he played himself on a YouTube original series, Sideswiped.
Debbie Harry Started Out as a Backup Singer
Most listeners know Debbie Harry for her electrifying stage presence as Blondie’s frontwoman, but early in her career – before the formation of Blondie – she was a backup singer.
This 1968 image shows a 23-year-old Harry during her time with the folk rock group The Wind in the Willows. The group released one album, finding middling success. Of course, this period became a mere footnote in Harry’s career.
Debbie Harry Now
The peak of Debbie Harry’s pop culture notoriety came in the 1970s with the success of Blondie. In the ’80s, she moved away from music somewhat to pursue an acting career, and in the ’90s she collaborated once more with Blondie.
Over the past quarter-century, Harry has been involved in an eclectic mix of musical projects, including further Blondie albums, a contribution to a Fall Out Boy album, and duets with Nick Cave.
The Prince Of Goth: Robert Smith
Robert Smith was the lead singer of the Cure and pretty much the Gothic poster boy for every ’80s girl who wore black as a second skin. Smith’s on-stage persona consisted of heavy black eye-makeup, red lipstick, crazy hair, and, of course, the statement clothing that was part of ’80s goth subculture.
Ironically, Smith never intended to become to lead singer of the Cure. Instead, he was in the background playing the piano, guitar, and writing songs. It wasn’t until the band had gone through five different singers that Smith finally took a chance at the mic. The rest, as they say, is history.
Robert Smith Now
Robert Smith is still rocking the dramatic makeup look just like he did in his youth! In 2019, The Cure was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2023 the band performed at Riot Fest. Smith himself has appeared in music on his own, including 2021’s “How Not To Drown” by Chvrches.
Tommy Lee Was All About The Girls, Girls, Girls
Mötley Crüe founder, drummer, and overall bad-boy, Tommy Lee, was a force to be reckoned with during the hard rock scene of the ’80s. Lee had that tattooed hard-rock vibe going for him, which made his female fanbase swoon. Nothing was stopping this band once they were signed. They were releasing hit albums one after the other throughout the entire decade, including Shout at the Devil; Girls, Girls, Girls; and Dr. Feelgood.
Known for his gimmicks while onstage, such as having his drum kit float above the crowd while he’s still playing, Lee had everything going for him. He was living his best life with Mötley Crüe.
Tommy Lee Now
Since his wild time with Mötley Crüe, Tommy Lee has been in and out of courts and jails and has been in several marriages. It seems as though that rocker lifestyle caught up with him. Thankfully, he does have redeeming qualities. Lee is a supporter of PETA and animal rights, and even went as far as writing a letter asking SeaWorld to release the whale, Tilikum.
Lee also had a dramatization of his relationship with Pamela Anderson made into a television series Pam And Tommy, where he was played by Marvel star Sebastian Stan.
Billy Joel Is One Of The Best-Selling Musicians Of All Time
Billy Joel, aka “Piano Man,” has had everything going for him since the ’70s. He’s had a mega-successful solo career and is considered to be one of the best-selling music artists of all time, as well as the sixth best-selling recording artist and third best-selling solo artist in the U.S.
When you sell 150 million records worldwide, there is no stopping a tour schedule. The rock god has been on the road since his debut album in 1971 and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be stopping anytime soon, even though he isn’t recording anymore.
Billy Joel Now
Billy Joel is still on the move and touring around the world. He can still play the piano with the best of them, and his voice will always be something to marvel over.
Billy had a longtime residency at Madison Square Garden, although in 2023 he announced it would end in July the following year after 150 lifetime performances at the venue.
Paul Stanley, AKA, The Starchild
The co-lead singer of the rock band KISS, Paul Stanley was quite a looker once all of the black and white Starchild face paint was washed off. He was the co-writer of many of the band’s hit singles and is considered to be one of the top metal vocalists of all time.
In his book, Gene Simmons says that Stanley was the driving force for KISS during the ’80s. He had an energy about him that made him magnetic, not to mention the vocals and stage presence to back it up!
Paul Stanley Now
Paul Stanley and the rest of KISS have been performing together since the ’70s, with their last tour ending in December of 2023. Between recording new material and touring, Stanley has had many different surgeries for his hips, which he chalks up to all the years he performed on platform shoes. He’s also tapped into another aspect of his artistic side by exploring painting and holding exhibits of his work.
Richie Sambora Was The 2nd Hottest Guy In Bon Jovi
When you’re the lead guitarist for Bon Jovi, there is nothing you can do but sit back and be labeled the second-hottest guy in the band. Richie Sambora joined Bon Jovi after attending one of their concerts and being impressed with their style. Soon after, Jovi hired him as their guitarist.
Sambora was part of one of THE prominent rock bands on the East Coast during the ’80s, staying with Bon Jovi for 30 years. He was cool, good-looking, had a charming smile, and played guitar in a band – what more could a guy ask for?
Richie Sambora Now
Richie Sambora left Bon Jovi during their 2013 “Because We Can” tour, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his family and watch his daughter grow up. He has only played with Bon Jovi once after his resignation, at the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2018.
Since leaving Bon Jovi, Sambora has released various solo records and even formed the duo RSO alongside Orianthi.
Vince Neil Had That ‘Too Cool For School’ Persona
As the lead vocalist for the ’80s heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, Vince Neil had a lot going for him. And it didn’t hurt that he had the bad-boy, bleached hair, sleazy attitude thing going for him. Hey, it’s what worked back in the days of heavy rock music.
Neil joined the band in 1981, after Tommy Lee, the drummer, vouched for him — they were friends in high school. From there, Mötley Crüe took off, thanks to the vocals and frontman performance given by Neil. He went on to perform with the band as well as record some solo albums.
Vince Neil Now
Stereotypically, when you’re a bad-boy rocker, you’re bound to get into some legal troubles. To say Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil has had some run-ins with the law throughout his life would be an understatement.
There’s something to be said about a famous musician who is almost as well-known for his hectic personal life and multiple arrests than his music!
Billy Idol Was Part Of The Second British Invasion
Billy Idol first achieved fame as a member of Generation X, a punk rock band out of London during the 1970s. After leaving the band in 1981, Idol embarked on a solo career, leading him to international recognition during the “Second British Invasion” in the United States.
With his punk-like images and glam rock style, Idol was living it up in the U.S. rock scene. His popularity continued to grow in other countries, with the release of the album Rebel Yell. Needless to say, Idol had everything and more going for him during the ’80s, including spikey platinum blonde hair.
Billy Idol Now
Billy is still rocking the iconic platinum locks!
In 2023, Billy was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and even announced a tour! He’s definitely not slowing down any time soon.
