Dan Farrell, the Daily News’ photographer who captured the heart-rending and iconic image of a young John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting his father’s coffin, has died. He was 84.
The legendary lensman passed away Monday after a sudden and acute bout of pneumonia, his family said.
Farrell was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Mary Farrell. He is survived by their five children: Dan Farrell, Lynn Farrell, Kathy Natoli, Christine McCormick and Mary Ligarzewski.
Farrell was born in Hazleton, Pa., but grew up in Brooklyn, his son said.
He spent his entire 50-year career at The News, capturing some of the newspapers’ most memorable and beloved photos.
He won international acclaim when he was hurriedly dispatched by The News on Nov. 25, 1963 to cover the funeral of President John F. Kennedy.
It was there that he snapped the picture that touched the heart of a grieving nation — and marked Farrell’s life forever — near St. Matthew’s Cathedral after the funeral mass in Washington, D.C.
“It was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” Farrell said in an interview with The News two years ago.
The next day, the photo of young John-John, 3, was the front page of The News.
The bereaved salute, made by the little boy as he stood with Jacqueline Kennedy, his sister, Caroline, and uncles Robert and Edward, became the best-remembered image of the funeral.
“I took a deep breath, I’m holding this crazy camera and I’ve got it pinkied, and I tripped it with one shot,” Farrell said. “That was it, a one-shot deal.”
Farrell was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for the photograph, but lost to Bob Jackson, the photographer who captured an image of the moment Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald.
He retired in 1995 to his home in Oceanside, Long Island, where he kept a framed picture of his most famous snap.
Farrell also spent a lot of his career inside Shea Stadium, where the Mets played before moving to Citi Field.
On Sunday, Aug. 15, 1965, Farrell was assigned to shoot pictures of a mop-top group of lads from Liverpool.
His images of the Beatles — and a packed stadium — caught the hysteria and the energy of the moment, as well as the crazed reactions of teenage fans.
A wake for Farrell will be held Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. and Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at Christopher Jordan Funeral Home on 302 Long Beach Road in Island Park.
Funeral services will be Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Parish at 110 Anchor Ave in Oceanside.