Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Michel du Cille died on assignment covering the Ebola outbreak in Liberia on Thursday. The 58-year-old Washington Post photographer collapsed while covering a story with Post colleague Justin Jouvenal. Executive editor Martin Baron broke the sad news to the Post newsroom in a memo.
Michel collapsed during a strenuous hike on the way back from a village where he and Justin Jouvenal were reporting. He remained unconscious, and was taken to a nearby clinic, where he had difficulty breathing. He was then transported to Phebe hospital, two hours away, where he was declared dead by doctors… We are all heartbroken. We have lost a beloved colleague and one of the world’s most accomplished photographers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Michel’s wife and fellow Post photographer Nikki Kahn, and his two children.
“Michel was completely devoted to the story of Ebola, and he was determined to stay on the story despite huge personal risks,” Baron said in a statement. “That is the sort of courage and passion he displayed throughout his career. The loss to our newsroom and to our profession is incalculable.”
