Jazz photographer William Claxton dies

Chris Wiegand guardian.co.uk, Monday October 13 2008 12.30 BST

Steve McQueen driving, photographed by William Claxton

Jazz for the eye ... Steve McQueen at the wheel. Photograph: William Claxton/AP

Photographer William Claxton, whose iconic shots captured Steve McQueen and Chet Baker at their coolest, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 80.

Claxton was celebrated for his moody black-and-white portraits of leading jazzmen such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Art Pepper and Thelonious Monk. His photographs of musicians at work around the US in 1960, taken on a four-month journey accompanied by musicologist Joachim-Ernst Berendt, were collected in the book Jazzlife. Claxton took the famous photograph of a brooding Chet Baker with his face reflected on the piano (below). His Baker portraits were collected in the book Young Chet, with a note from Claxton that photography is "jazz for the eye".

Claxton's photographs made striking album covers for Pacific Jazz Records, such as the shot of a seaborne Baker blowing his trumpet in the wind on the sleeve of the 1956 album, Chet Baker and Crew. Shooting LP covers was, wrote Claxton, a "simple and delightful experience" - and an intimate arrangement he preferred to the wrangling of executives and stylists that would accompany CD cover shoots in later years.

Chet Baker at a piano, photographed by William Claxton

Detail from portrait of Chet Baker. Photograph: William Claxton / AP

Born and raised in California, Claxton snapped other leading musicians throughout a career spanning more than 50 years, including Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Tom Jones and - most recently - Bob Dylan. His contribution to music included setting up the organisation that runs the Grammy awards; he was handed the Lucie award for music photography in 2003.

His work appeared in Interview, Time, Life and Vogue and he teamed up with his wife, model Peggy Moffitt, to work in the field of fashion with designer Rudi Gernreich. Claxton also took many candid snaps of legendary film stars, including Marlene Dietrich and, most notably, his friend Steve McQueen, often shown posing behind the wheel of his beloved automobiles. A collection of Claxton's photographs of comedians, including Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, was published in 1999.

Claxton died on Saturday from complications stemming from congestive heart failure. He is survived by his wife Peggy Moffitt Claxton and his son, Christopher.