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9/11 Victim's Son Honors Him with Epic Tattoo
11 Sep
Summary
- Son's back tattoo memorializes photographer father lost on 9/11.
- Photographer Bill Biggart died rushing towards danger on 9/11.
- Family cherishes father's earlier work, not 9/11 photos.
William Biggart Jr. has honored his father, Bill Biggart, the only photographer to perish in the 9/11 attacks, with a deeply personal back tattoo. Bill Biggart, known for his fearless pursuit of documenting injustice, died on September 11, 2001, while photographing the World Trade Center collapse. His surviving family members find his earlier work more cherished, as the images from that tragic day remain too painful to revisit.
Biggart's final photographs capture the chaos and terror of Lower Manhattan as the towers fell. Despite the immense danger, he moved closer to the scene, driven by his commitment to capturing critical moments. His son, William, who was in Lower Manhattan that day, narrowly escaped the devastation.
Bill Biggart’s career was marked by a dedication to photographing marginalized communities and moments of conflict, from the First Intifada to protests in New York City. His family remembers him as an intense, dedicated individual whose life's work ultimately led him to be at Ground Zero on that fateful morning.
The cameras and equipment Bill Biggart carried that day were returned to his widow, Wendy Doremus, in trash bags. While his 9/11 images gained posthumous attention, they are not the defining legacy for his family. Instead, they hold onto the memory of a man whose life's work was a testament to his belief in fighting for the oppressed.
