World-leading photographer Yannis Behrakis passes away aged 58

Pulitzer-winning photographer Yannis Behrakis, one of the world’s most respected and awarded photojournalist’s who covered violence and upheaval across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, passed away in Athens yesterday at the age of 58.

In 2016, Behrakis had received the Pulitzer award for his work on the refugee crisis.
The Foreign Press Association of Greece sent the following announcement:
Yannis Behrakis, one of the best photographers of his generation, died of cancer in Athens yesterday.

Devastated by his loss, the members of the Foreign Press Association of Greece extend their heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, as well as to his colleagues at the Reuters news agency, where he worked and distinguished himself for more than 30 years.

Yannis was present in several wars, as well as in major political, social and athletic events that marked the world in recent decades. To say that he covered them with his camera would be an understatement. His pictures shaped the very way in which we perceived events, from the war in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone to the refugee crisis and the Arab Spring.

The numerous prizes and awards Yannis won in his career don’t just reflect the quality of his work but also the personal danger to which he exposed himself in the line of duty. To name but a few: the Pulitzer in 2016, World Press Photo in 2000, Bayeux-Calvados in 2002 and Photographer of the Year by the Guardian newspaper in 2015.

His prolific and creative work aside, Yannis was an active and loyal member of the FPA. We will always remember him.

Behrakis was born in 1960 in Athens, Greece. His career as a news photographer spanned more than 30 years and took him to conflict zones across the globe.

"I'm there to record the best and the worst of humankind," Behrakis said in his Reuters biography. "This is my contribution to world peace."