Memorial: Eamonn McCabe

A service of thanksgiving for the life of photographer and picture editor Eamonn McCabe will take place at St Bride’s Church, the Journalists’ Church, on Thursday 27th April at 11:30am.

McCabe was picture editor at The Guardian from 1988 until 2001. He discovered his love of still photography on a visit to San Francisco in 1969, where he inadvertently found himself recording some of the violence at the Rolling Stones Altamont concert. This experience encouraged to him to specialise in shooting sporting and musical events upon his return to London.

He covered three Olympic Games as photographer for the Observer and in 1985 was news photographer of the year for his images of the Heysel Stadium disaster, where he had been sent as a sports photographer to cover the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus.

His picture-editing career, firstly at Sportsweek and then The Guardian, was notable for ensuring that print photography was not an afterthought. He was picture editor of the year an unprecedented six times.

Latterly, McCabe became a portrait photographer and many of these photographs are on display at the National Portrait Gallery.

Obituary

• The Guardian
• The Express
• The Telegraph
• The Times

Photo: Bill Jackson