Knoxville's Clay Owen, 47

 

KNOXVILLE, TN (February 4, 2009) – Knoxville News-Sentinel photojournalist Clay Owen, 47, died unexpectedly Tuesday evening at his home. The newspaper said the veteran photojournalist, who had been with the paper for more than 17 years, had a heart attack.

The newspaper reports that project editor John North reviewed photographs with Owen on Tuesday evening at work for a series about homelessness that he'd been working on, and that when Owen left he told North that he was going to "go work out." North worked frequently with Owen on a Saturday shift, coming up with features for the Sunday paper, the News-Sentinel story said.

Owen joined NPPA in 1985, and as recently as last July he was entering and winning NPPA's Monthly News Clip Contest in Region 6. A native of Paris, KY, Owen was a 1988 graduate of the University of Kentucky with a journalism degree, and he had interned at the Los Angeles Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Before joining the Knoxville staff, Owen freelanced for the Lexington Herald Leader.

Owen is survived by his wife, Jackie. Arrangements are pending.

 

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