LOS ANGELES —
Blair Godbout, a veteran Associated Press photo editor whose calm demeanor, attention to detail and warm, outgoing personality made him friends with arguably everyone he met in a business in which the rush to be first is often tense and competitive, has died at age 66.
Godbout died March 19 at his rural home in Sonora, California, with his wife, Sheri Malone, at his side. The couple moved to the historic Sierra Nevada Gold Rush town after Godbout took early retirement in 2013 upon being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Although he rarely touched a camera or computer after his diagnosis, he continued to lead a full life until recent months, his wife said, traveling with her to Africa, South America, the Amazon and across the United States during those retirement years.