Who was Ricky Powell and how did he die?
LEGENDARY hip-hop photographer Ricky Powell has died at the age of 59.
Here we look at the life and times of then man who chronicled a musical movement that included the .
Who was Ricky Powell?
Ricky Powell was born on November 20, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York.
He forged a career as a photographer as he captured the early days of hip-hop.
Powell was best for his working relationship with the Beastie Boys — so much so the rap-rock group honored him as their fourth member.
Later he snapped iconic images of icons of the downtown Manhattan scene.
This included , Eric B and Rakim, Laurence Fishburne, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Sofia Coppola, and .
His images would feature in the New York Times, the Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, among other leading publications.
What was Ricky Powell's cause of death?
on Monday, February 1, 2021.
Further details of his death were unclear.
more on those we've lost
Who has paid tribute?
Manager and business partner Tono Radvany said: "I just want to let everybody know he was a very special man, and he will be sorely missed."
Roots’ Questlove was among the first hip hop artists to pay tribute to him by quoting a lyric from the Beastie Boys’ single Car Thief in which he’s mentioned.
LL Cool J also paid tribute with a picture of the pair together with the words "captured the culture...Rest in power".
And QTip posted: "Rip 2 my man Ricky Powell. So NYC official... the parties when he would rock the slides.. the jokes and most importantly his capturing of life."