Feb 02, 2021
Image via Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty
Legendary hip-hop photographer, author, and honorary fourth Beastie Boy Ricky Powell has died, his manager and business partner Tono Radvany confirmed. I just want to let everybody know he was a very special man, and he will be sorely missed, Radvany said.
Though he s done a lot throughout his career, he was best known for the work he did with the Beastie Boys, in addition to capturing a number of iconic images of a range of celebrities that included Madonna, Run DMC, Andy Warhol, and Laurence Fishburne, among others. You can see some of those in tribute tweets if you continue scrolling down. His resume could accurately state that his work was featured in
Hip-hop photographer and “the fourth Beastie Boy” Ricky Powell has died at 59 years old.
The news was confirmed by his manager and business partner Tono Radvany, “I just want to let everybody know he was a very special man, and he will be sorely missed.”
A New York City native, Powell was best known for his work with the Beastie Boys. He joined the group and Run-DMC for their Raising Hell tour in 1986, and a number of the photographs he took became some of the most remembered images in the history of music. He then became the de facto in-house photographer of Def Jam Recordings and went on to collaborate with the two groups and other names such as Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Eric B and Rakim and more. He released a total of four books and even hosted his own Public-access TV show
RIP, Ricky Powell, The Original Lazy Hustler and Legendary NYC Street Photographer
February 01, 2021 | in Photography
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One of the great legends of NYC street photography and culture, the Lazy Hustler himself, Ricky Powell, died today at the age of 59. The iconic photographer was best known for his association with the Beastie Boys in the 1980s, as well as countless shots of hip-hop and NYC culture in those crucial days. Powell was also a valued editorial contributor to Juxtapoz throughout the decades, so the loss is both historical and personal.
There are too many memories of Ricky Powell to share, and so many came before I even got a chance to meet him in person. I remember his
Ricky Powell, well-known photographer, author and honorary fourth member of the Beastie Boys, has died.
According to a report from Page Six on Monday (Feb. 1), which is when the news of Powell s passing broke, he was 59 years old. The cause of death hasn t been revealed.
The story of Powell becoming the rap crew s famed photographer started back in 1986, when the master behind the camera lens ditched a job selling lemon ices to roll with the Beastie Boys on Run-DMC s Hell Raising Tour. Some of the photos the New York City native took became famous, later making him Def Jam s in-house photographer while on the road with the Beastie Boys.