Diane Martel Dies Aged 63: Visionary Behind Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines
Acclaimed music video director Diane Martel, best known for shaping some of pop’s most memorable and controversial moments, has died aged 63 after a battle with breast cancer.
Martel, a creative force in the industry, was surrounded by family at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York at the time of her passing.
Her family confirmed the news, saying she died “peacefully … after a long battle with breast cancer.”
Diane Martel carved out a reputation as one of music’s boldest visual directors. She was behind Robin Thicke’s 2013 global hit Blurred Lines, a track that stormed the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, 12 weeks at number one in the US and five weeks at the top of the UK charts.
The videotape, featuring models Emily Ratajkowski and Elle Evans, drew heavy criticism for its bareness and perceived sexist undertones. Martel, still, defended her creative choices.
“I don’t think the video is sexist,” she told Grantland at the time. “I directed the girls to look into the camera. This is very intentional … they are in the power position.”
She later added: “The lyrics are ridiculous; the guys are silly as fuck … I find [the video] meta and playful.”
While Blurred Lines made headlines, Martel’s influence stretched far wider. She directed Miley Cyrus’s We Can’t Stop, aiming to make something “trippy” and like a “giant selfie”.
Speaking about the pop star, she once said: “Miley Cyrus is an astonishing young lady, effervescent, creative, excited, and so loving.”
Her filmography reads like a roll call of music royalty. Beyoncé. Mariah Carey. Pink. Alicia Keys. Luther Vandross. Avril Lavigne. Franz Ferdinand. Each trusted her to translate sound into striking imagery.
Music video director Diane Martel has died at the age of 63.
Notable videos she directed:
– Dreamlover (Mariah)
– All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah)
– My All (Mariah)
– Angel of Mine (Monica)
– Heartbreaker (Mariah)
– Genie In A Bottle (Christina)
– What A Girl Wants… pic.twitter.com/tPtYbQx2n3— MR. POP (@MrPopOfficial) September 19, 2025
Among her name works are Mariah Carey’s gleeful chief All I Want for Christmas Is You( 1994), Vandross’s Dance With My Father( 2003), and Avril Lavigne’s haunting nothing’s Home( 2004). Her most recent design was Alicia Keys’ Lifeline in 2023.
Martel never shied away from controversy. Speaking to Rolling Stone, she said: “My s*** is on point right now. I do have to admit I like being provocative.
That’s punk, that’s rock & roll, that’s hip-hop. It’s passionate. We’re not doing pharmaceutical ads.”
It was this unapologetic approach that cemented her as one of the defining music video directors of the past three decades.
Her family added in their statement: “She is survived by her Aunt, Gail Merrifield Papp (wife of Joseph Papp, founder of The Public Theatre), her three beloved, loyal cats (Poki, PopPop, PomPom), and many loving lifetime friends.”
Martel’s end marks the end of a period for music videotape culture. Bold, enterprising, and frequently divisive, her work pushed boundaries and left a heritage still being debated.
