Herb Ritts was a photographer and music video director.
Some of his most famous photography subjects included Elizabeth Taylor, Vincent Price, Madonna, Ronald Reagan, David Bowie, and Britney Spears. His photographs for Rollings Stone, specifically the one titled "Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989", helped create the era of the supermodel in the early 1990s.
He went on to directo music videos for Madonna, Janet Jackson, Michale Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and others.
He died in 2002 from AIDS related pneumonia at the age of 50.