The photographer who took the iconic picture of John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting his father's coffin during the slain president's 1963 funeral has died. Stan Stearns, 76, died Friday at a hospice in Harwood, Maryland. His son, Jay Stearns, said the cause was cancer. Stearns was assigned to cover John F. Kennedy's funeral on Nov. 25, 1963, as a photographer for United Press International. He would later describe standing outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington and being squeezed into a roped off area with 70 other photographers. Stearns stood by as the president's flag-draped casket was loaded on to a horse-drawn caisson after the funeral. Through his telephoto lens, he watched as Jacqueline Kennedy leaned down to whisper to her son, who turned 3 years old that day. Then the boy stepped forward and saluted. Stearns' camera clicked. The salute lasted less than five seconds. Though television cameras captured the moment, it was Stearns' photo that became famous.
