…………………….Bill Cunningham has sadly passed away, and we have all lost a very dear soul…………To say that Bill was the best at what he did would be a monumental understatement. If you don’t know who the “gentleman” was I would like for you to google him. Bill was a photo journalist, but I think Bill would have thought that too fancy, and wouldn’t even like to be known as a photographer……just someone who simply liked clothes…. He rode on his very ordinary bicycle around NYC taking pictures of women, men, children, and occasionally animals…….dressed in interesting garb. He would then tell a story with these pictures every Sunday in the New York Times fashion section. His stories were limitless. One week it was about animal prints, another hats, another sunglasses, another coats, another tartan plaids…..what ever caught his eye…umbrellas, polka dots…whatever it was he made a photo record of it……Every Sunday I looked forward to see what Bill zeroed in on. Was it something that us designers should take heed of, or were we a part of what Bill found exciting in the spur of the moment……….Bill was at every special event he could peddle on his bicycle to whether a major “Red Carpet” event, or the opening of a gallery in the Meat Packing District. There were no bounds to where he would go….uptown to Harlem…..downtown to the Battery…east and west…wherever he thought he might get his shot…his next story. You might bump into him in the most unlikely places, camera in hand, but most likely you would find him stationed on 5th Avenue near 57th Street….or up and down Madison Ave……Bill was a New York fixture, and most New Yorkers, who were aware of anything, knew who he was……..I’m sure he was happy as punch when digital cameras came out, and he didn’t have to carry rolls and rolls of film!………………………………………………….
……………..I have know Bill for 40 years, but he was a very private man. I never knew how old he was, but in all those years he barely changed. I doubt he gained or lost a pound. Sure he had a few more wrinkles, but his vitality never wavered. I was about 20 when I first met him, and he was about 20 years older……He was the kindest, sweetest, most humble man I have ever met in my life, and I don’t say that lightly…..Over the years he has taken many many picture of me, and of Jac. The one above was taken at a Met Fashion of the Year Gala. That was when they took place in Dec. and the museum was resplendent with Baroque Christmas decorations. As you can see it was snowing, and Bill caught me as I was exiting a limo. The smile on my face was for Bill…..I was always happy to see him….He signed the back, wrote me a sweet note, and sent it to me…..It’s one of my most favorite pictures……Without fail, whenever we met on the street or any event, he would always say in a very endearing way, “How are you kid?”, and I would always reply, “I’m good Bill, how are you?”, “I’m great!”, and off he would go…I thought Bill would be around for ever……I would like to think that Bill is off looking for the next shot, and that someday I will bump into him again, and he will say, “how have you been Kid?”…………………….rest in peace dear Bill
I loved his journalism and he will be missed! What a great picture of you!
Dear Louis,
What a gorgeous photo of you and thank you for the beautiful tribute your wrote about your friend, Mr. Cunningham, a man who showed us all how to live. I was among his many fans and what you and Brandon Stanton said about him seems so obvious now as he is eulogized, even to those of us who had never met him. He was filled with joy, for his work, for people, for life…a life well lived. Thank you for sharing and my condolences for your loss.
Brandon Stanton eulogized Mr. Cunningham yesterday on his “Humans of NY” FB page, featuring his own perfectly representative photo of the man himself, on his bike in one of his instantly recognizable jackets, with a shy smile on his face. Thousands of New Yorkers and others of us familiar with this great photographer’s work had many lovely & thoughtful comments about BC there, and Brandon noted what an influence he had been on his own wonderful and far-reaching work in the world of street portraiture. Hate to see him go.
Bill Cunningham was one of my favorite human beings ever from afar! His NYTimes fashion videos and photographs had a place on my FB page every Monday for Girlfriends who did not get or read NYTimes… His documentary on NetFlix was charming, eccentric and typically NYC…
Every one in the documentary said he he was a gracious gentle soul, who lived life on his own terms. His bike, his camera and those fabulous work jackets he always wore were from France…an elegant man on a bicycle gliding around NYC with his camera in his 80’s!
safe travels Bill!
A Fan🎈
Good morning Louis,
There’s a nice article and photos about Mr. Cunningham in today’s “New York Social Diary” website.
It was always exciting to catch him in action around Manhattan.
Great, smiling photo of you. See you tomorrow.
Hi to Jac, Elaine
So sorry to read of your loss, Louis. Seems that I am now at an age when people I thought would be around forever can be gone in an instant. Makes me more determined to treasure every friend and every minute with them whether in person, by phone, or even the Internet, where I keep in touch with friends from high school and college.
Okay, at first glance I thought the photo was of Tyrone Power! I had to read the commentary to know for sure. Bill certainly captured your spirit.
I always looked forward to his pictures in the Sunday Times. He will be missed!! (BTW- great shot of you Louis. Your smile did seem to say – “How wonderful to see you Bill!’)
Sounds like Bill was a fun and interesting man. I love the photo he took of you. Thanks for sharing your memories of him!
huge fan of his, I actually saw him riding his bike at 5th & 57th a few years ago
he lived a wonderful life didn’t he
I would like to think so….I think a pretty solitary life. His work seemed to be everything to him. I hope that when he went there were friends who were close to him.
I really enjoyed the documentary about him. A life well lived, a man to be admired.
I’m so sorry for your loss, sounds like a wonderful man.
I never knew him but watched his shows all the time. Rest in peace Bill.