Brian Duffy: ‘He had that Irish madness about him’

Photographer Brian Duffy has died aged 76 after a battle with lung cancer.

Duffy alongside David Bailey and Terence Donovan formed the “Black Trinity” of photographers that The Guardian said became as famous as the models, musicians and film stars they captured.

Although he started his career as a fashion illustrator for Harper’s Bazaar, Duffy soon turned to photography working for world famous fashion magazines including the British Vogue and the French Elle. He was also one of a few leading photographers in the world who was chosen to shoot two Pirelli calenders in 1965 and 1973.

Duffy was reputed to have a fiery temper. The Times reports that after an argument with a member of staff over spare loo rolls, he once ordered everyone to go home and made a bonfire of his negatives.

Bailey, the sole surviving member of the “Black Trinity” told The Sunday Telegraph: “He had that Irish madness about him, he was very quick-witted, and the banter held us three together. Even though he could be grumpy, I remember laughing all the time with him.”