In 1973, a 27-year-old illustrator named Drew Struzan was asked to create cover art for Black Sabbath’s fifth studio album. The request was simple: “Draw a picture of a dying man.” But Drew, working out of the Pacific Eye & Ear agency in Hollywood, envisioned something more layered. What if the cover told the story of two deaths — one of torment, one of peace?
* On the front cover, a man writhes in agony, surrounded by clawed demons as “666” looms above the bed.
* On the back, we see a mirror image — the same man, this time passing quietly, surrounded by mourners and bathed in blue light.
* On the back, we see a mirror image — the same man, this time passing quietly, surrounded by mourners and bathed in blue light.
Drew’s idea was influenced by his own personal and spiritual journey at the time. He saw death not as a definitive end, but as a doorway. One path leads to torment… the other to transcendence.
* Both illustrations were created with colored pencils on white illustration board, under the direction of art director Ernie Cefalu. Drew’s original concept sketches — seen here — were immediately approved by the band and show just how clear his vision was from the beginning.
* And yes — that’s Drew himself in the reference photos. These rare behind-the-scenes images show him posing as the dying man in both scenes. He wasn’t just the illustrator — he became the subject. The agony, the serenity… all of it was drawn from real reference and emotion.
He was paid $250. He never got royalties. And yet over 50 years later, this is still one of the most talked-about album covers in rock history.
“It was just another assignment,” Drew once said. “But if you do something well… it can work its way into the heart.”
/ Courtesy of Drew Struzan
“It was just another assignment,” Drew once said. “But if you do something well… it can work its way into the heart.”
/ Courtesy of Drew Struzan
