Stanley Livingston, Ann Arbor music and celebrity photographer, passed away Wednesday from a heart attack, following heart surgery earlier this year. He was 69.

Livingston took tens of thousands of professional celebrity photographs over the years, including artists ranging from John Lennon to B.B. King. His most recent project was "Blues in Black and White," a book of photographs from the early years of the Ann Arbor Blues Festival published this year by the University of Michigan Press.

“I wanted every picture to be its own little work of art. That’s important to me, that the pictures sing,” Livingston told AnnArbor.com for an August article about the book.

According to a statement from U-M Press, Livingston was "known for solving the most difficult photographic challenges for his commercial and industrial clients. Until his recent book, few people knew the depth of his work in photographing blues musicians in and around Ann Arbor. He also created an exceptional portfolio of landscapes and environmental portraits of neighbors near his summer cabin at the northernmost tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This wooded region, which was especially dear to Stan, is where he passed away this week." “I was Stan's partner in creating the recent 'Blues In Black and White' book, and also worked as his assistant for several years in the 1970s,” said designer Tom Erlewine. “His dedication to impeccable quality in image-making was an inspiration that has guided me ever since.”

Funeral services have not yet been set. Livingston is survived by his wife, Susan, and daughter, Bethany.