The New York Times have confirmed that their legendary and beloved street style photographer Bill Cunningham has suffered a stroke. Last Sunday the paper didn’t include any of the 87-year-old shooter’s photographs for the first time in decades. Fans took note of the omission and chatter began over where Bill was.
In a statement to Page Six the Times have confirmed that he is in hospital “recovering from what appears to have been a stroke.” They added that Bill has been in frequent touch with family and editorial and “We believe that his recovery will be quick.”
While the icon has been a fixture at the paper since the early 70s he drew a new level of fame in 2010 after the release of the documentary Bill Cunningham New York. The film that followed him while he rode his bike around the city, snapping outfits and people who caught his eye, captured his unique and optimistic take on fashion and life.
Bill is widely considered to be a pioneer of the style of street fashion reportage that now makes up so much of style coverage. He’s celebrated not only for his images and commentary, but also for his democratic approach to his work. Famous for his blue workman’s coat and spartan approach to life, he has always given equal space to the idiosyncrasies of regular people as he has to models and celebrities. He is the man after all who said, “If you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do.”
Hopefully this cultural hero will be on his bike and back to work soon. But while he recovers why not spend some time revising Bill Cunningham New York and his regular video diary this weekend? Or better yet, take his advice that “fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life”, and wear something especially spectacular.
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Text Wendy Syfret
Image via Twitter