Richard Avedon was an American fashion photographer born in New York City in 1923 to a Russian Jewish family. He made significant contributions to Vogue, Life, and Harper's Bazaar magazines through his fashion and portrait photography. Avedon helped define fashion photography and is renowned for his portraits of celebrities, world leaders, and cultural figures. He died of a brain hemorrhage in 2004 while working on an assignment in Texas at the age of 81.