Nat Finkelstein, 1933-2009
Well, there was an interesting life. Nat Finkelstein, Factory photographer, is dead, at 76.
He had one of those 1960s stories so quintessential it sounds like a bad period movie: born in Coney Island, spent the early part of the '60s as a photojournalist covering civil rights and dog shows, fell in with Andy Warhol in '64, was the Factory photographer-in-residence for three years, became a Black Panther, and ended the decade by fleeing the states to spend 15 years in Katmandu selling hashish.
His Factory photos were instantly iconic, because that's how the Factory worked. Warhol and Dylan, Marcel Duchamp, the Velvet Underground performing live, and, of course, Edie.
He returned to the United States in 1982, became addicted to coke, and managed a British post-punk band. He kicked drugs and photographed club kids at Limelight.
Finkelstein died of pneumonia and emphysema. According to his website: "His work can be seen in upcoming exhibitions, including 'Who Shot Rock' at the Brooklyn Museum this Fall, and a retrospective at Idea Generation, London in December 2009."