Shawn Mortensen with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

When word came that photographer and BlackBook contributor Shawn Mortensen had passed away, our last issue had just come in from the printer. In it was a portfolio of Shawn’s most recent work, including some of the most fabulous images we’d ever seen of the Gossip’s Beth Ditto and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and a soulful moment with Clive Barker in his studio. It was an art issue, and Shawn’s images were both celebrations of the wild forms of self-expression from these creative types and works of art in their own right. Shawn wasn’t the kind of guy to sit still, and his lust for life came through in his subjects. He had an uncanny way of working with people, who often became more like collaborators in his photos, ignited by his passion.

A masterful storyteller and prolific artist, Clive Barker revels in the darkest corridors of the human psyche. As the sun sets on his studio high in the Hollywood Hills, the hell-raiser reveals the method to his terrifying madness.

Over at Interview, Glenn O'Brien pens a great eulogy for photographer Shawn Mortensen. Several fun candid pics too. You should check it out.

It's impossible to write anything that might even begin to do justice to the life and works of the exceptionally gifted and kind photographer Shawn Mortensen, who passed away two nights ago. Shawn, during his frequent contributions to BlackBook, proved himself to be a man of incredible talents and someone whose energy and creative passion were genuine, refreshing and unparalleled. There aren't enough superlatives in the world to describe what a unique and special man he was. It's an awful day, and Shawn will be terribly missed. Still, his images will continue to inspire, even in the face of such tragedy.

From Ethiopia to Verona—with Jamaica in between—a globe-hopping photo special.

Verona, Italy