Slava Veder: key obituary facts
Is Slava Veder dead? Yes. Slava Veder died on August 22, 2026, at age 99.
Cause of death: Slava Veder's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Slava Veder known for?
He was an American photojournalist (born 1926).
More about Slava Veder
Born: 30 August 1926.
Gender: male.
Known for: Burst of Joy (1973).
Slava Veder, the American photojournalist best known for the Associated Press image “Burst of Joy,” died on August 22, 2026, aged 99.
Veder, who was born in Berkeley, California, on August 30, 1926, worked for the AP and built a career covering major events and disasters. His most famous photograph, made at Travis Air Force Base on March 17, 1973, captured a Vietnam War-era POW homecoming and later won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
In a 2015 interview, Veder said he was largely self-taught and had begun his reporting career in local journalism before moving into photography.