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Iconic Civil Rights Photographer Jack Thornell Dies at 86

4/25/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Jack Thornell’s 1966 photograph of James Meredith after a shotgun attack became an iconic image of the Civil Rights Movement.
He died at age 86 in Metairie, Louisiana, from complications of kidney disease.
His first AP assignment covered a Mississippi Gulf Coast school integration, launching his civil-rights photography career.
He later photographed the 1964 Neshoba County murders and Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1965 Selma march.

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Story summary

Jack Thornell’s 1966 photograph of James Meredith after a shotgun attack became an iconic image of the Civil Rights Movement.
He died at age 86 in Metairie, Louisiana, from complications of kidney disease.
His first AP assignment covered a Mississippi Gulf Coast school integration, launching his civil-rights photography career.
He later photographed the 1964 Neshoba County murders and Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1965 Selma march.