Who was Sebastião Salgado? Legendary Brazilian photographer dies at 81

Award-winning photographer Sebastião Salgado has died at age 81

Legendary Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado has died at the age of 81. Instituto Terra, the environmental restoration non-profit he and his wife founded, confirmed the tragic news in a social media post on Friday.

Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado leads a tour of his exhibition, "Sebastião Salgado: Genesis," on April 24, 2014, at the National Museum of Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)(AP)

Who was Sebastião Salgado? Award-winning Brazilian photographer dies at 81

The NGO, which was founded in 1998 by Salgado and Lélia Wanick, his wife of six decades, shared a lengthy statement on Instagram confirming the award-winning photographer's death.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Sebastião Salgado, our founder, mentor, and eternal source of inspiration,” reads the caption of the post featuring a black-and-white photo of Salgado.

Instituto Terra describes its founder as “one of the greatest photographers of our time,” who, along with his wife, “sowed hope where there was devastation and brought to life the belief that environmental restoration is also a profound act of love for humanity.”

“His lens revealed the world and its contradictions; his life, the power of transformative action,” the statement goes on. The organisation has also vowed to “honour his legacy” of “nurturing the land, justice, and beauty,” Salgado “believed could be restored.”

“In this moment of mourning, we extend our heartfelt solidarity to Lélia, his sons Juliano and Rodrigo, his grandchildren Flávio and Nara, and to all the family members and friends who now share in the pain of this immense loss,” it adds.