# Jack Smith, AP photographer of Mt. Saint Helens, has died last month at 80 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** photo, celebrity-death, magazines-newspapers\ **Created:** [February 26, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-smith-ap-photographer-of-mt-saint-helens-has-died-last-month-at-80/980410 "2023-02-26T21:58:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-smith-ap-photographer-of-mt-saint-helens-has-died-last-month-at-80/980410/1 "2023-02-26T21:58:11Z")
> **[AP photographer Jack Smith, who captured Mount St. Helens, Tonya Harding dies](https://komonews.com/news/local/ap-photographer-jack-smith-who-captured-mount-st-helens-tonya-harding-dies)** > > Jack Smith, an Associated Press photographer who captured unforgettable shots of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, boxer Mike Tyson > Smith passed away on Jan. 4 at his home in La Mesa, California. He had cancer and had been in hospice care, said his wife, Judy Smith. In addition to capturing the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens, he shot photos of the _Exxon Valdez_ disaster, a crying Tonya Harding at the Olympics, and Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield’s ear. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-smith-ap-photographer-of-mt-saint-helens-has-died-last-month-at-80/980410/2 "2023-02-26T23:12:41Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > In addition to capturing the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens, he shot photos of the _Exxon Valdez_ disaster, a crying Tonya Harding at the Olympics, and Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield’s ear. Bad things sure seemed to happen a lot whenever he was around… ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2023, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-smith-ap-photographer-of-mt-saint-helens-has-died-last-month-at-80/980410/3 "2023-02-26T23:39:24Z")
Good thing he’s dead now. Nothing bad that’s photographable will ever happen again. This is not at all related to recent threads I’ve commented on. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2023, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-smith-ap-photographer-of-mt-saint-helens-has-died-last-month-at-80/980410/4 "2023-02-27T00:23:27Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Bad things sure seemed to happen a lot whenever he was around… Must have been a Time Lord. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2023, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-smith-ap-photographer-of-mt-saint-helens-has-died-last-month-at-80/980410/5 "2023-02-27T01:56:38Z")
Do NOT f\*\*\* with a man who controls volcanoes. Words to live by. More seriously, he was a hell of a talent in addition to his skill / good fortune at being in the right place at the right time. The old bit about success being the intersection of preparation and perception. Be there, be ready, and see it coming.