William Claxton | Photographer, 80

William Claxton, 80, a photographer who snapped such entertainers as Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra and who helped establish the organization that runs the Grammy Awards, has died.

Mr. Claxton died Saturday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications stemming from congestive heart failure, his son Christopher said.

He was best known for his soulful portraits of jazz artists such as Chet Baker, and he went on to photograph Dylan and other musicians such as Joni Mitchell and Tom Jones. His images graced the covers of numerous albums (see some of his work at http://go.philly.com/claxton).

Mr. Claxton, a founding member of the Recording Academy, started his photography career in 1952 while a student at University of California, Los Angeles.

He also worked with Sinatra, Steve McQueen and Rebecca De Mornay, and his photographs regularly appeared in such magazines as Life, Paris Match and Vogue. - AP