Since the start of his five-decade long career, Alice Cooper has blended clever music and macabre stage theatrics, becoming one of the most universally beloved stars of the hard rock era. He's sold over 50 million records and earned a 2011 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We're celebrating his career with pictures from every year from 1969 until the present.

Cooper's defining work in the '70s made headlines for his fascination with all things creepy and crawly, as exemplified by his makeup and handling of snakes – to say nothing of regularly ending his concerts by staging a mock execution of himself. Still, he's always said that there's a difference between himself (born Vince Furnier) and the character of Alice Cooper. He also pointed out that his vision's roots are in old-school horror movies, vaudeville and burlesque, which gave Cooper a bit more mainstream interest than other controversial rockers. That allowed him to hang out with Vincent Price and be interviewed by Johnny Carson, as you'll see below. He was also befriended by Depression-era entertainers like Groucho Marx and Mae West, although Ann Landers wasn't a fan.

That said, his ability to put those ideas into memorable rock songs – first as part of the original Alice Cooper band and then on his own – earned him the respect and admiration of peers like Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar, Joan Jett and Rick Nielsen as well as subsequent generations of musicians like SlashMotley Crue and Billy Squier. You'll see pictures of Cooper with all of them below.

And you'll also see him participating in sports. A high-school jock, Cooper has kept up his love of athletics. We found pictures of him playing baseball and on the slopes, but mostly golfing. He famously took up the game in 1982 after a stint in rehab, and he's credited it with keeping him healthy. He's good enough that he even once considered turning pro, but said he would have to do it in full Alice Cooper makeup.

 

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