San Francisco-based freelance sports photographer Brad Mangin blogs about the passing of his friend, the legendary rock photographer Jim Marshall.

The voice on the other end of my cell phone had a sense of urgency. My friend Tim Mantoani was calling yesterday afternoon to tell me that his very good friend, legendary rock and roll photographer Jim Marshall died in his sleep Tuesday night in a hotel room in New York City. How could this be? We both had just seen Marshall at the 65th birthday party for Michael Zagaris (The Z-Man) last month in San Francisco. Many thoughts raced through my head. Tim told me to call the Z-Man to find out what had happened.

Continue reading and see more photos on Brad’s blog.

Jim Marshall and Michael Zagaris pose for friend and photographer Tim Mantoani and his 20 x 24 inch Polaroid camera in San Francisco, CA on January 11, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

As Michael Zagaris and Brad Mangin look on, Jim Marshall signs a 16 x 20 print of his famous Beatles picture for Mangin in Marshall's San Francisco home on February 11, 2009. (Photo by Grover Sanschagrin)