Man known for his pictures of Beatles, Stones, Bardot and Sean Connery had prostate cancer
Terry O’Neill, the photographer who rose to fame in the 1960 s as a chronicler of the celebrities and public figures who defined the era, has died at the age of 81.
O’Neill, who was awarded a CBE last month for services to photography, died at home on Saturday night after a long illness, his agency said. He had prostate cancer.
He was known for his pictures of musicians, models and actors, from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery. He later photographed Amy Winehouse, Nicole Kidman and Nelson Mandela, as well as the Queen.
A spokeswoman for his agency said: “It is with a heavy heart that Iconic Images announces the passing of Terence‘ Terry ’O’Neill, CBE. As one of the most iconic photographers of the last 60 years, his legendary pictures will forever remain imprinted in our memories as well as in our hearts and minds. ”
A biography of the photographeron the agency’s websitesaid: “O’Neill realized that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the swinging 60 s. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world. ”
He was married to the actor Faye Dunaway, with whom he had a son, for three years. He later married modeling industry executive Laraine Ashton.
Inan interview with the Observer last yearhe mourned the loss of the kind of stars he had photographed, saying: “There’s nobody around now I’d want to photograph. Amy Winehouse was the last person – real talent. All the proper stars have gone. ”
And he added: “The perfectionist in me always left me thinking I could have taken a better shot. But now when I look at photos of all the icons I’ve shot – like Mandela, Sir Winston Churchill and Sinatra – the memories come flooding back and I think, ‘Yeah, I did all right.’ ”
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