Scotsman Obituaries: Bill Hooper, Scotland’s longest-serving tattoo artist

Bill Hooper made his mark on Edinburgh over decades as a tattoo artist

William John Hooper, Tattooist. Born: 6 March, 1948, in Bellshill. Died: 31 August, 2023, in Edinburgh, aged 75

He officially created his first inking as a teenager and by the time Bill Hooper hung up his gun, almost 60 years later, vast swathes of Edinburgh knew someone who sported his handiwork.

He was old-school, traditional, taught himself the trade and took great pride in drawing much of his designs freehand.

Tough and granite-faced when the occasion demanded it, he was also well-loved by the thousands who patronised his studio and, though his career was ended prematurely by a cancer diagnosis, he remained Scotland’s longest-serving tattooist.

Born in Lanarkshire, to parents Elizabeth and Robert, he attended Bellshill’s Mossend Primary and Bellshill Academy where his talent for art first emerged. However, it wasn’t a path he initially pursued professionally: his first job as a delivery boy ended abruptly when he was sacked for stealing a cigarette; his next role was as a crane driver at Dalzell Steelworks.

But, when he showed an interest in tattooing, it transpired that his father had dabbled in the craft during the Second World War and he fully supported his son’s choice of career, even helping to build his first tattoo gun.

He began tattooing officially in 1965, opening his first shop in Hamilton in 1967 and moving to premises on Leith Walk a decade later. At the time it was one of the few tattoo shops in Edinburgh and it was where he became a renowned character, forging many strong friendships over the years. Customers included everyone from a Glasgow University professor to nurses, hairdressers and soldiers – he once reputedly tattooed 32 people in one eight-hour day.

Behind the gritty façade was a man who loved music and dancing, the latter leading to him meeting his first wife, Betty, at the dancing in Bellshill. They married in 1969 and their first home was the back room of his shop in Hamilton. The couple, who later moved to Newarthill, had daughter Annette in 1972. Although they eventually separated, they remained close until Betty’s death in 1997.

Towards the end of that year he met the woman who would ultimately become his second wife, Susie. When they were introduced, through a mutual friend, she lived in the Borders with her daughter India and Bill often visited, discovering an innate talent as a gardener.

Over the years he created a wildflower meadow and an impressive Japanese garden where the fish pond was his pride and joy.

He and Susie were together for 26 years and loved to travel, visiting favourite European destinations before finally achieving his dream to see Japan. They fell in love with the country, returning six times.

Bill was passionate about both antiques and Japanese culture and began collecting, and later restoring, Samurai swords. Most days he found time for “swordage”, as he called it, delighting in the history and workmanship of the pieces.

A proud family man and grandfather, in 2020 he was devastated by the death of his daughter’s eldest son Robbie who he had spent so much time with watching him grow up, taking him camping in Glencoe and showing him the soaring eagles he loved so much. Then, around 18 months ago, he faced his own personal heartbreak when he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Bill continued to live life to the full and he and Susie were finally married in a private ceremony in January, with their families by their side. He also made the difficult decision to sell his shop in the spring of this year, and to retire.

News of his death prompted an outpouring of tributes to the man universally known as a legend in his trade. Many said he had inked them for the first time, others described him as not only a giant in Scottish tattooing but a craftsman respected by contemporaries throughout the country and beyond.

Bill Hooper died peacefully in St Columba’s Hospice and is survived by his wife, daughter Annette, stepdaughter India and grandson Innes.

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