Ron Galella, ‘Godfather of U.S. Paparazzi,’ Dies at 91
thewrap.comannounced to the press. The paparazzo famously was barred from photographing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis after stalking her throughout the 1970s and early ’80s, with Kennedy in a court case saying that she was under “constant surveillance” by Galella.
And though many of his photo subjects would flip him the bird as he snapped his shot, Marlon Brando took it one step further and broke his jaw, leading to another lawsuit and a $40,000 settlement, according to Galella’s website.
Galella though has taken some truly iconic and influential photos in his career, including “Windblown Jackie” showing Kennedy in the afternoon on the street in a slight breeze, or an image of John Lennon with Mick Jagger that was one of the last photos taken of the Beatle before his death, an image that also graces the cover of his most recent book.
But his brand of chasing down celebrities in public, photographing them without permission and selling the images was a trend that Galella practically pioneered well before paparazzi became prolific in celebrity news and before smaller portable cameras and cell phones made such images ubiquitous.
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