Matthew James Irwin (10 February 1980 – 5 May 2016) was a British celebrity photographer.
Matt Irwin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Matthew James Irwin 10 February 1980 Southport, England |
| Died | 5 May 2016 (aged 36) London Fields, London, England |
| Cause of death | Suicide by GHB overdose |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Family | Carys Bray (sister) |
Life and career
editMatt Irwin was born in Southport, England on 10 February 1980 and grew up in the Mormon church, though he "didn't believe" and "felt rejected" for being gay.[1] His older sister is author Carys Bray.[2] Their father was a stake president in Devon and Cornwall.[3]
Irwin started taking photographs at age 15. He moved to London, and worked as an editor and then in-house photographer at the magazine Dazed & Confused, with his first cover shoot first in 2007.[4][5]
Irwin photographed Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Rihanna, Kesha, Rita Ora, Miley Cyrus, and Cara Delevingne, among others.[4][5][6][7]
Death
editAfter his friends did not hear from him for a few days, police found Irwin dead on 5 May 2016[4][8] in his London Fields flat on Mentmore Terrace. The door had been left open.[9] His family announced he had committed suicide,[10] which his friends believed was related to a breakup. Irwin's suicide was later confirmed by the coroner at the inquest following his death.[11] The investigating coroner, Jaqueline Devonish, noted that he had been suffering with depression and disclosed the results of his post-mortem revealing that he had died as a result of an overdose of GHB.[9] Irwin left an "Open letter to The World" on his laptop, in which he elaborated on his struggles with depression and "growing up in a cult". The note was published in Dazed in September 2016.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Heawood, Sophie (30 September 2016). "Remembering Matt Irwin in the right way". Dazed. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Duffy, Tom (8 May 2016). "Southport author Carys Bray 'devastated' at death of brother Matt Irwin". Southport Visitor. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ Smyth, Richard (24 September 2014). "Carys Bray: 'Until I could be honest about my doubts, I just couldn't write'". New Humanist. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Paton, Elizabeth (10 May 2016). "Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and More Remember Matt Irwin as a Photographer and Friend". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Matt Irwin Dead: Celebrity Photographer Dies at 36". The Hollywood Reporter. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ "Tributes are paid to celebrity photographer Matt Irwin, who has died aged 36 - BBC Newsbeat". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ "In Memory Of Matt Irwin". Elle Uk. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ Bayley, Leanne (11 February 2016). "RIP Matt Irwin: Celebrities pay tribute to "the creative force" (Glamour.com UK)". Glamourmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ a b Bartholomew, Emma. "Matt Irwin: One Direction celebrity snapper took own life in his London Fields flat, inquest hears". Hackney Gazette. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ "Celebrity photographer Matt Irwin took his own life, his family says". BBC. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Photographer to the stars killed himself with party drug". Evening Standard. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.