Director Tied To Miley Cyrus, Other Massive Pop Stars Dies At 63

Diane Martel, a music video director who oversaw visuals for a number of the biggest stars of the past 30-odd years, died from cancer at age 63.

Martel’s client list included top stars Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, The Killers, Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke to name a few, according to Rolling Stone. She passed away Thursday in New York and her family issued a statement to the outlet.

“Diane passed away peacefully at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital – surrounded by friends and family – after a long battle with breast cancer,” the statement read.

Martel was behind Cyrus’ wildly popular video “We Can’t Stop” and Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” with Pharrell and T.I., both of which were visually striking and packed with provocative choreography. The videos were met with widespread backlash, making them among the most discussed and highly viewed videos of the past few decades.

“My shit is on point right now,” she told Rolling Stone in a 2013 interview centered around Cyrus and Thicke’s videos.

“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 told the outlet at the time.

Martel’s career in the music industry sparked in 1992 when she directed her first music video “Throw Ya Gunz” for the hardcore hip-hop group Onyx, according to Rolling Stone. That was quickly followed by projects with figures in New York City rap like Method Man, Gang Starr, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, LL Cool J and Keith Murray. Martel was the force behind Carey’s epic “Dreamlover” video as well as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “My All.”

Her impressive repertoire includes “Genie in a Bottle” and “What a Girl Wants” from Christina Aguilera, “Send It On” from D’Angelo and “My Neck My Back (Lick It)” from Khia. Justin ‘Timberlake’s “Like I Love You,” Alicia Keys’ epic ballad “If I Aint’ Got You” and Ciara and Timberlake’s “Love Sex Magic” were also among her credits.

Martel also worked on “3” from Britney Spears, “Read My Mind” from The Killers, “Conquest” from the White Stripes, “Pills N Potions” from Nicki Minaj, “Give Yourself a Try” from 1975 and Addison Rae’s “Obsessed,” according to Rolling Stone.

Outside of the music realm, Martel became the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker at the University of Oregon in 2022, where she helmed  community events and instructed a music video production class.

The last music video overseen by Martel was Ciara’s “Ecstasy,” which released earlier in 2025. (RELATED: Country Music Singer-Songwriter Brett James Dies In Plane Crash At 57)

Her family’s statement took note of her relatives and friends. “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,” they said.