Unrecognizable 90s Alt Rock Icon Turns 66

A member of one of the top alt rock bands of the genre's heyday was spotted looking sprightly out and about in New York this week.

He met his bandmates in 1980 in Atlanta and they all dropped out of college together to pursue a music career that rapidly led to success and acclaim.

They remained together for more than three decades, being inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame four years before they finally dissolved the group.

Their frontman was named godfather to Kurt Cobain and 's daughter Cobain, and he wrote a heartrending song about his failed bid to help the Nirvana icon cope with his personal struggles.

When he surfaced in Manhattan this week at the age of 66, his once clean-shaven cloven-in-marble features were concealed by a festively bushy white beard.

Can you guess who he is?

He is none other than Michael Stipe, who is beloved by alt rock fans around the world as the frontman of the 1980s and 1990s band REM.

For his latest sighting, he wore a colorful outfit including his tie-dye jacket, a yellow and white checked shirt, a sky blue beanie and orange-tinted shades. 

Stipe drew particular attention for his dashing looks, plaintive vocals and often unintelligible early lyrics that fans have spent years attempting to decode; pictured 1995