Locus is reporting the death of photographer, fan, artist, and sometime writer Jay Kay Klein on 13 May 2012, of esophageal cancer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 28 July 1931, he graduated from Syracuse University in 1953. He spent most of his mundane career in advertising at the General Electric Corporation and Carrier Corporation.
In the realms of sf, however, he discovered fandom in 1945, joining the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society that same year, and he began writing for fanzines in 1946. He was a professional author, with three stories to his credit: a short called “On Conquered Earth” in the December 1967 issue of If, and two Probability Zero short-shorts in Analog Science Fiction and Fact: “Century of Progress” (December 1984) and “Mass Communication” (August 1985).
Klein is probably best known for his photography, mostly portraits of fans and pros, stereo images he created with his home-built stereo camera, and much more. For many years, he wrote the “Biolog” feature of author biographies, accompanied by his photographs, in Analog (the feature continues today, written by Richard A. Lovett).
He was the Fan Guest of Honor at Discon II, the 32th World Science Fiction Convention (1974), and the recipient of fandom’s Big Heart Award in 1990. He was also a member of SFWA, First Fandom, the National Fantasy Fan Federation, and various regional SF leagues.
Klein’s photographic work will be exhibited at this summer’s WorldCon, and there is also a celebration of his life planned for the convention.
Klein’s wife of 57 years, Doris Klemmer Klein, died in October 2011.
Related articles previously published on SFScope:
Photographer Jay Kay Klein in hospice care (12 April 2012)