On December 14, 2006, Richard D’Amore, died tragically.

"On December 14, 2006, my friend, Richard D’Amore, died tragically.

Richard was an honorary member of the ‘quiet creative giants club.’ He was an observer par excellence, who saved his energy for the camera and brought the timeless poetry that we can only imagine or dream of, into view. It is evident from experiencing the divine quality of his work, that his legacy will live on for many years to come.

The beauty of art is that it will always prevail, no matter how much the raging forces of envy, jealousy and incompetence will try to silence it. Richard steps into that pantheon of immortals. Though, I can imagine a little shy and bemused, as if asking, ‘moi?’

Travel well Richard, and know that we, the viewer, will keep your beautiful work alive."

Luc Leestemaker
President
Art Fund Corp.



My Uncle was a genuine artist. He was a poet not only in word, but in light.
He was a passionate soul who created from a true, pure place in his heart.
It's breaking my heart daily. I loved them both very much.

To My Uncle Richard:


The light in my fingertips bursts into flame,
Starving to illuminate the void that was created.
This dust of you, once a flash of lightning.
Left filtering through the stains
There are so many things that I will not forget
Still moving water
The early morning light
The time we spent in the dark
The bridge, we never crossed

To heart, secrets you carried inside the color grey
Only with eyes wide open, you are not here
In spirit and Image, with soul and sound
Preserving gods light to iluminate a darker day
You will always be my old and moody

- Aurelia


RIP

May 31, 1940- December 14 2006

www.richarddamore.com
http://www.filmartla.com/stores/show...p_ID=85&Prev=0


LOS ANGELES TIMES:

Makeup artist, spouse found dead in possible murder-suicide
Hallie D'Amore won an Emmy for her work. She and her husband had purportedly had strife.
By Amanda Covarrubias, Times Staff Writer
December 20, 2006

An Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated makeup artist and her photographer husband were found dead in their Venice home in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide.

Hallie D'Amore, 64, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1995 for her work with two others on "Forrest Gump," apparently shot her husband, Richard D'Amore, 66, multiple times before turning the gun on herself, police said.

Police believe the shooting occurred Thursday, and the couple was found the next day by one of their co-workers.

Investigators said they did not know what drove Hallie D'Amore to kill her husband and herself but said the two, who had celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary around Thanksgiving, were having marital difficulties.

Capt. Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County coroner's office said police found a note, but was unsure whether it was a suicide note. He did not know its contents.

The couple's many friends in and outside of Hollywood continued to mourn the loss of their talented, artistic friends Tuesday and said they could not imagine what might have led to the shootings.

Hallie was described as kind, eccentric and a "great artist" by her friend and colleague Susan Cabral-Ebert, president of Local 702, the makeup artists and hairstylists union.

"She was one of the first women in the business," Cabral-Ebert said, recalling the days when they became Hollywood makeup artists in the 1970s. "It was all men at the time. She gave me my first job."

Cabral-Ebert said the tall, fashionable blond was warm, funny and supportive of others in her field.

"She was so good to so many people," she said. "She allowed other people to bloom. It hurts us all so much. She was so loved, and the grief we're dealing with on this end…. People are calling in and sobbing."

Hallie won an Emmy for "Normal" in 2003 and was nominated for "Buffalo Girls" in 1995 and "Gypsy" in 1993. Her other credits include "XXX" and "XXX: State of the Union," "The Princess Diaries" and "Apollo 13."

Richard D'Amore was known for his moody landscapes, nudes and architectural photographs that caught the eye of Hollywood celebrities. His work is owned by Michelle Pfeiffer, Ted Danson and Rob Lowe, among others, according to his website.

"He was a very laid-back kind of guy," said photography collector Stephen White, who attended the couple's wedding more than two decades ago. "He seemed to just float along. He's nobody that anybody would dislike."

White said Richard had been scheduled to visit his house Saturday to show White a book of his work, for which White was going to write an introduction. White said they spoke on the phone for at least half an hour last week, and Richard gave no sign of any personal strife.

Richard told White that the couple were leaving Sunday for Paris, where they own an apartment.

"He gave no indication that the slightest thing was wrong," White said. "Then he didn't show up on Saturday. Usually he's a pretty reliable guy. I figured he just got busy, then he went to Paris."

Hallie has two daughters. Together they have four grandchildren. Surviving Richard, are his brother, Robert D'Amore and neice, Aurelia D'Amore. Both are photographers.

How tragic. My heart goes out to you and your family.
His work is exquisite.
I lost my brother and father to suicide. It is not something easily understood and time does not heal all.
Again, my sympathies go out to all affected by this tragic event.

I met Richard a few times, we had mutual friends. I had hoped to get to know him better. He was not only an artist behind his cameras, but in the darkroom as well, printing in silver, hand-colored silver, platinum, and cyanotype. I am glad he has his brother and niece to help to make sure that he is remembered.
Sincerely,
Tracy

Aurelia I got to meet Richard a few times over at Patrick's he was a great human been and gifted artist your sorrow and grief are share by many .
I offer my condolences and hope you are well

I read these obits in the LA Times with interest, although I don't know the D'Amore couple. My sympathy is expressed to the family.

In honor of Richard Salvatore D'Amore
Death in Venice
August 2009
To those who share this tragic loss:
Richard’s murder on December 14, 2006 surely continues to resonate with those of us who knew and loved him. He was my best gentleman friend for thirty years and not a night goes by, nor will ever go by, that I do not light a candle in front of his photograph. I swathed my grief in black until June 14th, a Sicilian gesture of honor for a fellow Sicilian who knew the true meaning of the word. It was a fitting, heartfelt gesture for a master of the black and white photograph.
He honored all of us with his gentle spirit, his wit, his music, his personal grace, his incalculable talent. He glorified the commonplace in his photography and brought nobility and dignity to each miraculous image he cajoled from a simple piece of paper. I miss his rapture in his work, his phone calls inviting me to stand before his latest print with him and share an espresso. I lament that he had so much more beauty with which to bless this world, but no bullets in the night can ever blast away his essence or his memory.
Now that is has been two years since his death, let us rejoice in his life. The raw grief, the searing, twisting barbed wire in the heart, has not and will not diminish, but let us join together to remember Richard in all our disparate ways and thus keep him alive and well.
As I gaze at his photographs through tear filled eyes, I am smitten by the truth, joy, dignity, poetry and profundity each evokes. I am struck by the elegant ascension in so many of his images, particularly his spiral staircase. Having descended into the depths of despair for his demise, I struggle to ascend to an acceptance of his loss.
Richard left his own wordless elegy for all of us in his work, and may it comfort and bring succor in this the aftermath of his death in Venice.
Esther F. Caporale

I met Richard through a mutual friend in Los Angeles (artist Luc Leestemaker). His photographs moved me in so many ways. For his photo, Nude On Eagle, I composed my own symphonic musical interpretation of the piece. Halfway through writing the work, I received news of Richard's tragic death. From then on, I saw the photo in an entirely different light, thus changing the direction of the music I was writing. The title of the work is FALLEN ANGEL: IN MEMORIAM RICHARD D'AMORE. To hear it, please visit my website at www.vinceho.com, and click on the track in the jukebox (side-bar). It was performed by the Esprit Orchestra last year. For those of you who knew Richard, I hope you enjoy it.

I knew Richard and worked with him personally on reproducing some of his prints on a large format Roland 720 printer which we had at an art gallery where I was a partner and Digital Printing Manager in 2004 and 2005. Richard was a very kind man and extremely interested in his art. We made some prints together and he was very happy with the results. He died so sadly, and I was not only shocked but deeply sorry to hear about it, and will always remember his gentle and friendly nature, and the few moments during which we collaborated together to produce giclee prints on watercolor paper of some of his works. He was amazed at the quality that was possible with high end digital printing, and was considering his options in rendering a body of his works through that process. I will always respect and remember him as being an incredibly talented and gifted photographer, and a very nice guy. It is truly a loss to the world that he is gone.