The 'Sgt Pepper Celebrity Memorial' Artist Supports Actors' Trust

Over the past decade, you may have seen the striking Sgt. Pepper-style montages circulating on social media, in the press, and on television — each one honouring the famous faces we’ve lost that year. The artist behind them, Chris Barker, has approached Actors’ Trust to say he’d like to support us with this art project as he commemorates ten years.

5 November 2025

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Since 2016, Chris has released his tributes every December, inspired by the iconic Beatles album cover. The series quickly became a bit of a global phenomenon, shared by millions around the world. Now, after ten years, he’s bringing the project to a close with a special commemorative book — and a portion of the profits will go to support Actors’ Trust.

The book, to be published in late 2025, will collect every montage from the past decade, complete with detailed keys identifying each person featured and commentary from Chris on the creative process and the events that shaped each year.

“I never imagined this would become so big, but I’m glad people have found meaning and enjoyment in it,” says Chris. “Putting the book together has been a reminder of all the great people we’ve lost — from Bowie to Dame Maggie Smith, Parky to Tina Turner — and of the extraordinary times we’ve lived through, from Brexit to Trump, the Covid pandemic to the passing of the Queen. It’s been a memorable decade.”

The book is being funded through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform where people can pledge money to help a project reach its financial goal. If enough people back it, the project goes ahead; if not, no money changes hands. Supporters can choose different pledge levels in return for rewards including a personal dedication in the book itself. More information is available on Chris’s Kickstarter page. 10% of net profits (if the campaign is successful) will be donated to Actors’ Trust to help us continue our work supporting performers in need.

To mark the project’s finale, Chris will also host an exhibition at London’s Museum of Comedy in December. The show will feature a retrospective of the series, along with a charity auction of large, one-off framed prints, one representing each year. These are the only prints in existence, so they are very exclusive and demand is expected to be high. Online bidding opens at the start of December, with the final live auction taking place on 16 December. Actors’ Trust will have a limited number of free tickets available for the event. If you would like to attend the event, please contact hello@actorstrust.org.uk or call 0303 223 1110. Spaces will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Explaining his decision to support Actors’ Trust, Chris says:

“My late mother, Carolyn Barker, worked for the charity for over 18 years and often spoke about how much she loved the job and the people she helped. When it came to deciding which charity to support, it made complete sense to choose Actors’ Trust. Every year people respond so emotionally to seeing their favourite performers remembered in my pictures — and I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to help show them some of that love and support while they’re still with us?”

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Each image in the series has been lovingly curated, and the book will be a beautifully produced large format hardback — a lasting tribute to the stars we’ve lost and the times we’ve lived through.

For details on how to support the project, more about the exhibition and auction, and to see all the previous years’ images, visit chrisbarkerprints.co.uk. 

The final image in the series will be revealed 16 December.

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The 'Sgt Pepper Celebrity Memorial' Artist Supports Actors' Trust

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