Diane Martel, the visionary director behind some of the most iconic and controversial music videos of the last three decades, died peacefully on September 18, 2025, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 63. According to Rolling Stone, Martel was surrounded by friends and family in her final moments, leaving behind a legacy that shaped the visual culture of modern pop and hip-hop.
Born in New York on May 7, 1962, Martel’s early years foreshadowed her creative path. She was a high school dropout who gravitated toward performance and street art in the late 1980s, later working as a dancer and choreographer. These roots in movement and expression would come to define her directorial style, which was at once bold, playful, and deeply attuned to her subjects’ personas.
Martel’s first foray into directing came in 1992 with the PBS hip-hop dancer documentary Reckin’ Shop: Live From Brooklyn. That same year, she directed her debut music video for Onyx’s “Throw Ya Gunz,” a gritty, energetic clip that set the tone for her career. From there, Martel became a sought-after name in the hip-hop world, helming videos for Method Man, Gang Starr, and S.W.V., among others. Her collaborations with Mariah Carey, including the sunlit “Dreamlover” and the now-classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” cemented her reputation as a director who could capture both emotional intimacy and exuberant spectacle.
Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Martel’s influence grew. She worked with a who’s who of pop and R&B royalty, directing Christina Aguilera’s breakthrough “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants,” Britney Spears’ “3,” Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You,” and Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You.” Her ability to blend choreography, storytelling, and striking visuals made her a favorite among artists looking to push boundaries and craft memorable images.
But it was in 2013 that Martel became a household name, thanks to two music videos that dominated headlines and sparked heated debates: Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Miley Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop.”
The “Blurred Lines” video, featuring Thicke, Pharrell Williams, T.I., and models Emily Ratajkowski, Elle Evans, and Jessi M’Bengue, was a minimalist affair: men and models dancing in front of a stark white background. Yet its simplicity belied a storm of controversy. The video, especially its unrated version featuring nearly naked models, was widely criticized for objectifying women and for the song’s lyrics, which many saw as referencing non-consensual sex. As Mirror reported, “Blurred Lines” spent 12 weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and five weeks at number one in the UK, becoming the best-selling single of 2013, but its success was shadowed by fierce debate.
Martel, for her part, always insisted her intentions were misunderstood. In a 2013 interview with Grantland, she explained, “Robin asked me to make a white cyc video. I heard the song and loved it. Here was an opportunity to try out some of my ideas about sales and craft working in unison.” She continued, “I wanted to deal with the misogynist, funny lyrics in a way where the girls were going to overpower the men. Look at Emily Ratajkowski’s performance; it’s very, very funny and subtly ridiculing. That’s what is fresh to me. It also forces the men to feel playful and not at all like predators. I directed the girls to look into the camera, this is very intentional and they do it most of the time; they are in the power position.”
Despite her intentions, the video’s reception was fraught. Martel later addressed the backlash, saying, “I don’t think the video is sexist. The lyrics are ridiculous; the guys are silly as fuck. That said, I respect women who are watching out for negative images in pop culture and who find the nudity offensive, but I find [the video] meta and playful.” The visual even included a mylar balloon spelling out “Robin Thicke Has a Big D–k,” a tongue-in-cheek touch that did little to quell criticism.
The controversy deepened years later when Emily Ratajkowski alleged in her memoir that Robin Thicke had sexually harassed and assaulted her on set by grabbing her breast. Martel confirmed Ratajkowski’s account and described confronting Thicke in the moment: “I asked the visibly upset model if she was okay during the shoot and screamed ‘in my very aggressive Brooklyn voice, What the f–k are you doing, that’s it!! The shoot is over!!’” as reported by Billboard.
Martel’s other headline-grabbing project that year, Miley Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop,” was no less provocative. The video, a surreal house party fever dream, saw the then-21-year-old Cyrus twerking, building french fry skulls, and dancing with giant teddy bears. Martel described the video as “trippy and fun,” saying, “Miley and I wanted to make a trippy, fucked-up video that was like a giant selfie. She and I loved the idea of her being over the top. Her ‘modeling’ is crazy, like what the fuck is she doing in this video? Her teddy bear dancing, she’s kissing her doll, she’s riding a horrible bike with her butt out. I don’t see another female pop star getting into a girl fight in her video. This video is fucked up and fun. It’s like a long Vine.” The clip has since amassed over a billion views on YouTube, with “Blurred Lines” close behind.
Martel was unapologetic about her style and its impact. As she told Rolling Stone, “My s–t 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.” She praised Miley Cyrus as “an astonishing young lady — effervescent, creative, excited, and so loving. I’ve never seen a pop artist this normal. She is sophisticated and hilarious.”
Martel’s work extended far beyond these headline moments. She directed for artists as diverse as Beyoncé (“Best Thing I Never Had”), Jennifer Lopez, Franz Ferdinand, P!nk, Avril Lavigne, John Legend, Addison Rae, and Ciara. Her elegant touch could be seen in Beyoncé’s wedding-themed video or in the snow-frolicking innocence of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Her influence and mentorship were felt deeply by those she worked with. On September 19, 2025, Ciara paid tribute to Martel on Instagram, writing, “You believed in me and I believed in you! You will forever hold a special place in my heart and I am forever grateful for all the magic we’ve were able to make together. I know it was all God! Heaven has just gained an Angel. I love you so much @DianeMartel_ A.k.a. Miss D! Rest In Paradise.”
Martel’s last known music video was for Ciara’s “Ecstasy,” released earlier in 2025, capping a career that spanned more than three decades and helped define the look and attitude of modern pop. She is survived by her aunt, Gail Merrifield Papp, her three beloved cats, and a wide circle of loyal friends.
For fans and artists alike, Diane Martel’s work will remain a touchstone—provocative, playful, and always unforgettable.
