Joe Louis Flowers; Los Angeles-Based Photographer

Joe Louis Flowers, 59, one of the first internationally successful black professional photographers. Born in St. Louis and brought up in Blytheville, Ark., he studied at UCLA and based his photography career in Los Angeles. Flowers’ work has been exhibited at the Armand Hammer Museum, the Museum of African American Art and the Watts Towers Arts Center. He was a contributing photographer to Black Star Photo Agency, several magazines, including Time, Life, Paris Match, Sepia and Ebony, and newspapers, including The Times. From 1984 to 1994, Flowers was chief photographer for the Soul Train television show. He recorded such diverse events as the 1965 Watts riots, the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the Mexican 1000 road race. On June 18 in Los Angeles of bone cancer.