The New York Times ran a tribute to late lensman Bill Cunningham in its Sunday Styles section — but one element missing was any photos actually snapped by the beloved photographer himself.
Sources said the reason was because Cunningham’s images are now tied up in rights issues after his passing.
“Bill didn’t leave a will and didn’t sign his photos,” said a source, adding that sorting out his estate is complicated and “the Times is currently legally forbidden from running any more photos by him.” Cunningham’s survivors include several nieces and nephews.
Pictures in the Sunday Styles tribute were of Cunningham by other photographers, or black-and-white images of newspaper clippings of his columns, which an insider pointed out is a way to get around the rights issues.
The section included remembrances by Iris Apfel, Carolina Herrera and Vogue’s Anna Wintour, among others, and designers who took out ads in tribute included Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren.
A spokeswoman for the New York Times did not comment.