Roger Therond; Magazine Editor

Roger Therond, who turned the French magazine Paris Match into one of the world’s best outlets for photojournalism, died Saturday at home in Paris, the magazine announced. He was 76.

The cause of Therond’s death was not given.

During his 50-year career with Paris Match, Therond was known for having an eye for picking breathtaking photos. He joined the magazine in 1949, moving up the ranks until he became director and editor in chief in 1976.

“We have lost one of the most original and captivating figures of the contemporary press,” French President Jacques Chirac said in a written statement. “He leaves behind the memory of a pioneer.”

Born in the French port city of Sete, Therond studied liberal arts in southern France. His first journalism experience was as a film critic with the French magazine L’Ecran Francais (French Screen).

Therond collected snapshots long before they became top sellers at auctions, and over the years he amassed one of the world’s most impressive private collections. About 250 pieces were shown at Paris’ Maison Europeenne de la Photographie last year.

“Photographs embrace the universe and play a role in its uniqueness,” Therond wrote for the show. He also produced several books and video series about photography.

Last month, Therond received an achievement award from the International Center of Photography in New York “for having contributed to the shaping of photojournalism in Europe during the past 50 years.”

In recent years, Therond was one of the staunchest critics of a French law to reinforce the right to be presumed innocent. The law, which went into effect this year, banned photographers from taking pictures of suspects in handcuffs or of crime victims whose dignity could be compromised by an image.