The controversial British photographer David Hamilton, best known for nude images of young girls, has died in the age of 83 at his residence in Paris.
The circumstances of his departure are not clear. Some media reports indicate he killed himself.
Hamilton had recently denied accusations that he had in the past raped some of his adolescent models.
He made his name in the 1960s with soft-focus images of young girls published by leading magazines.
The emergency services were called to his apartment in the French capital’s 6th district (arrondissement) soon after 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT), where he was found unresponsive.
Local media are reporting that prescription drugs were found nearby.
Without giving a name by a famous photographer, prominent TV presenter Flavie Flament described being raped in the 1980 s in a book published last month.
As her attacker weekly last week, Hamilton was named by Flament in a interview with L’Obs. Other girls then levelled accusations that were similar.
Hamilton, whose work has long raised questions about where art ends and pornography begins, strongly denied the claims, and said he would sue for defamation.
Flament was left “devastated” from the news of his departure on Friday, her editor Karina Hocine told AFP news agency.
“Naturally, we believe horrified and, at the same time, truly disgusted that there wasn’t enough time for justice to run its course,” she added.
After leaving Britain in the 1950s produced in London in 1933, Hamilton settled.
