The Associated Press was one of the news outlets that Desmond Boylan was stringing for, right up to his final moment while on assignment.
Above: Desmond Boylan at work in Cuba. May 2012. Alejandro Ernesto Pérez Estrada
Photojournalist Desmond Boylan was on assignment in Havana on December 29 for The Associated Press when he felt unwell and soon died of a heart attack. With his passing, his family also lost their only source of income. This is why AP took to crowdfunding to help raise additional funds for his family at this difficult time.
“Our friend and colleague Desmond Boylan died late last year while doing what he loved — taking pictures,” The Associated Press wrote on the GoFundMe page they created on February 8. The campaign has been trending and already raised $22,790 as of this writing.
Formerly a photographer for Reuters, Boylan left a legacy of outstanding photojournalism, as told to us by Santiago Lyon in his heartfelt piece on the Lens section of The New York Times. There, he reflects on his enduring personal and professional friendship with Boylan.
“While he may not have been a familiar name to most readers, his work — like that of other wire service photographers who often toil in anonymity — had been seen around the world,” Lyon wrote.
Once his career took off, Boylan eventually traversed the globe covering a wide range of assignments, from turmoil in Albania and Palestine, to a variety of sporting events like Olympic Games, Formula One and Motorcycle races, soccer matches, ski championships, golf tournaments, and track meets. He also regularly covered the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, and was among the first photographers to use a remote cable-operated camera on the ground to photograph the bulls as they charged.
Boylan is survived by his wife Gloria, their son Michael, and his mother Grania. He was 54.
If you’d like to donate in Boylan’s memory and to help raise funds for his family, head to the GoFundMe campaign now and pledge your support.
Photo from the GoFundMe campaign for Desmond Boylan
