Photographer sued by Onassis dies at 91

Ron Galella, the photographer known for his celebrity shots and his pursuit of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who sued him and won a restraining order, has died at age 91.

Galella died Saturday at his home in Montville, N.J. said Geoffrey Croft, the editor of Galella’s most recent book, “100 Iconic Photographs — A Retrospective.” The cause was congestive heart failure.

Galella amassed millions of images in a career that began in the 1960s, earning sobriquets like the “paparazzo extraordinaire.” His subjects included Hollywood icons like Ava Gardner and Greta Garbo, singers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga and sports personalities including Muhammad Ali.

Marlon Brando punched Galella in the face outside a New York City restaurant in 1973. Elvis Presley’s bodyguards slashed Galella’s tires, and Sean Penn spat at him.

Onassis battled Galella in court for years, testifying that he had made her life “intolerable, almost unlivable, with his constant surveillance.”