It was a sad Fourth of July for New York City. Particularly, the New York Mets fans. The news of the passing of one of their own – Marc Levine, greeted them. The longest-tenured photographer responsible for some of the legendary shots, like the Endy Chávez catch from 2006, suddenly passed away. Part of the Mets since the late ’80s, the team owners, Alex Cohen and Steve Cohen, released a statement of his death.

Needless to say, tributes and mournful messages flowed in as soon as the sad news was announced. It would seem like the veteran photographer had a lot of fans. Everybody had a story to recount involving Levine. Joining the multitude was Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell.

Sharing the emotional message Mrs. Cohen posted on her Instagram on his story, the ‘Spida’ wrote, “Was just with you the other day… saw me grow up as a kid to whom I am now… a great photographer but even better person!! Love you Marc,” followed by a dove with an olive branch and heartbroken emoji.

Here’s the heartfelt eulogy Alex Cohen posted.

The details surrounding his passing away are not yet available. Reports, however, point towards a sudden death. Marc Levine was around 64 years old and in his 36th season with the NYC MLB franchise. A lifelong Mets fan, it was a dream come true moment when the organization opened its doors to Marc. Nearly 50 years of offering his services to a sport he grew up in awe of, and not once has he failed them.

As such, let’s take a little peek into his life.

Marc Levine’s two passions merged into one with the Mets

In a chat with the Mets PR legend, Jay Horowitz’s podcast, Amazin’ Conversations, the late Marc Levine revealed when he decided sports photography was the way to go. “I was 12 years old or so when I started to think this was the job that I wanted to have my whole life.” Just two years later, at 14 years of age, Levine published his first image. From there on, his singular focus was on improving himself and his skills to one day become a Mets photographer.

By the time a young Marc graduated from high school, he had published his work in nearly every magazine and a few trading cards. But he didn’t stop there. Levine continued his education, attending the School of Visual Arts in New York City and his choice was, unsurprisingly, the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Photography.

From there, he went on to assist other sports photographers who were in the MLB field. He was also freelancing on the side, getting his works published to a point where it was consistent. After he landed a job with the Mets, Levine continued working hard, always ensuring he produced top-notch shots. In fact, in a 2014 interview, he revealed one of his favorite things to do that helps him in his endeavor.

“One of my favorite things to do is to roam around the ballpark finding new angles. Very often I will go upstairs to our Promenade level and use a 500mm lens to try and get something completely different than what you see from field level. Sitting with the fans is also a way of providing the team with images that will show the fans’ point of view.”

It’s no wonder that the comment section of Alex Cohen’s post has many fans coming forward with some memorable moments involving the legendary photographer!