Herb Ritts: Celebrity Photographer and Music Video Director Dies at 50

Herb Ritts was an American fashion photographer and director known for his black-and-white portraits of celebrities and supermodels. Born on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles, he was largely self-taught and grew up next door to actor Steve McQueen.

Ritts began after a casual shoot with his friend Richard Gere and became one of the defining photographers of the 1980s and 1990s. His 1989 image of supermodels Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and others was a landmark. He directed music videos including Michael Jackson's "In the Closet" and Mariah Carey's "My All."

A 1996 retrospective at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts drew more than 250,000 visitors. Ritts was openly gay and was in a relationship with lawyer Erik Hyman. He died in Los Angeles on December 26, 2002, at age 50, of pneumonia, and was HIV-positive.

Achievements: Photographs for Vogue, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, music videos for Madonna, Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey, Boston Museum of Fine Arts retrospective (1996).

Birth: August 13, 1952 - Los Angeles, California.

Profession: Photographer and director.

Interesting Facts: His work was often compared to classical Greek sculpture.