Photographer Sebastiao Salgado Feted for Images of Humanity and Nature

Sebastiao Salgado, a celebrated Brazilian photographer whose striking images of humanity and nature in the Amazon rainforest and beyond won him some of the world's top honors and made him a household name, died on May 23 in Paris. He was 81.

- Ana Ionova

RIO DE JANEIRO — Sebastiao Salgado, a celebrated Brazilian photographer whose striking images of humanity and nature in the Amazon rainforest and beyond won him some of the world's top honors and made him a household name, died on May 23 in Paris. He was 81.

His death was announced by Instituto Terra, the environmental non-profit that he and his wife founded in Brazil.

His family cited leukemia as the cause, saying that Salgado had developed the illness after contracting a particular type of malaria in 2010 while working on a photography project in Indonesia.

"Through the lens of his camera, Sebastiao tirelessly fought for a more just, humane and ecological world," his family said in a statement. "Rich in humanistic content, this work offers a sensitive perspective on the most disadvantaged populations and addresses the environmental issues threatening our planet."

Working mostly in black and white, Salgado garnered widespread acclaim with his striking images of the natural world and the human condition, often traveling around the globe to photograph impoverished and vulnerable communities. In all, he worked in more than 120 countries.