Richard Avedon, one of the world’s most famous photographers is dead at the age of 81. Avedon suffered a brain hemorrhage lasst month while on assignment for the “New Yorker” magazine. He was working on a piece called “On Democracy,” shooting politicians and citizens from around the country.

Avedon died at Methodist Hospital after being there less than a week. He had been one of the world’s top photographers since the late 1950s and he never stopped working. Retrospectives of his work have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and he received and NEA Arts Award for lifetime achievement in 2003.

Avedon’s fashion work helped bring in the age of the supermodel. His photos for “Vogue” and “Harper’s Bazaar” included models such as Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford. By contrast, his photo work of influential people was often stark and even unflattering. His black and white photos showed every line and radiate with an honest gravity, highlighting the humanity behind some of the world’s most recognizable faces. Some of his famous subjects included Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe and Malcolm X.