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Hondros dead covering war, which he saw as his calling

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Chris Hondros, 41, the superb photographer who took some of the most wrenching war photos of our time, has been confirmed dead in a hospital in Misurata, Libya.

The same explosion had earlier Wednesday claimed the life of photographer and filmmaker Tim Hetherington. At least two other photojournalists were injured in the blast, which was believed to have been caused by a mortar round, Los Angeles Times correspondent Ned Parker reported from Misurata.

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The Big Picture noted earlier that Hondros took a series of the most chilling photos to come out of the war in Iraq. He also became one of the most eloquent spokesmen on the importance of exposing suffering in the world’s trouble spots.

News reports earlier in the day had prematurely declared Hondros dead, but the 41-year-old photographer clung to life for a few hours, with a critical head wound, at Hikma Hospital.

Hondros was a 2004 Pulitzer Prize finalist for spot news photography for his work in Liberia. He won the Robert Capa Gold Medal in 2006. Friends said he had been scheduled to marry this summer.

‘I still can’t believe it,’ said Rick Loomis, an L.A. Times photographer and one of a cadre who worked frequently in the world’s danger zones. ‘I knew it would happen some day to one of us. I just never wanted to really have that day ever come. He was one of the most talented guys out there, working in places that no one wants to go but that everyone should see. He was the eyes for so many people, whether they know it or not.’

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-- James Rainey
Twitter: latimesrainey

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