Legendary Broadway Photographer Martha Swope Is Dead at 88

Martha Swope is dead at the age of 88, The New York Times reports. Her photos captured decades worth of Broadway history. Swope's longtime friend Jeanne Fuchs told The Times she had been suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Originally setting her sights on pursuing dance, Swope's passion for the art form never strayed from her calling as a photographer; she went on to serve as the official photographer for the New York City Ballet. 

Swope shot dozens of Great White Way classics, including Gypsy, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Wiz, A Chorus Line, Romeo and Juliet, Annie, The Importance of Being Earnest, Tartuffe, On the Twentieth Century, Runaways, Peter Pan, Evita, Oklahoma!, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Cats, Into the Woods, Grand Hotel, City of Angels, Guys and Dolls, Falsettos, Candide and Damn Yankees. She snapped photos of greats like Jerome Robbins, Patti LuPone, Meryl Streep, Frank Langella, Liza Minnelli and many more.

In 2004, Swope garnered a Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre for her work behind the lens.

Swope is survived by two nieces, a nephew and a great-niece.