Who was Michael Lewis? Ithaca College professor and photographer who captured the viral Anthony Mackie meme passes away

Celebrity photographer Michael Lewis, who built a successful career photographing several renowned Hollywood stars, including Twisted Metal actor Anthony Mackie, died on September 19, 2026.

According to The Ithacan, Michael Lewis was not only a prominent photographer but also a professor in the Media Arts, Sciences, and Studies department at Ithaca College. Lewis was the photography professor at Ithaca College's Roy H. Park School of Communications since 2019.

Interestingly, the late Lewis, in addition to having a thriving professional career, also became quite popular for capturing a photograph of the Elevation actor Anthony Mackie, which eventually turned into a viral internet meme.

As per reports, while Lewis has clicked pictures of several prominent Hollywood celebrities such as Jack Black, Tina Fey, and Eva Mendes, among many others, his Anthony Mackie portrait, which showcased the actor's distinctive smirk, escaped the original and primary context, turning into an immensely popular reaction meme and becoming a part of today's internet culture.

The Anthony Mackie meme, which reportedly dates back to 2021, was eventually referred to as "The Face", with netizens jokingly stating that Mackie's expression in that particular picture taken by Lewis appeared to look like he knew something about someone. According to Know Your Meme, when Mackie was asked about his take on the viral meme, he said:

"I've seen this before and I still don't get it. I wanna get it. Do you get it?"

To which the interviewer responded:

"Don't look at me like that. You don't know anything about me."

However, before he decided to teach and become a professor, Michael Lewis, with a flourishing career as an editorial photographer, had worked with major news publications such as The New York Times, ESPN, and many more.

Internet reacts to photographer Michael Lewis's unfortunate demise

Let's take a look below at what netizens have to say regarding the unfortunate passing of Michael Lewis, the celebrity photographer behind the Anthony Mackie viral internet meme:

"Rest in peace King. Your work will live on forever and long after we are all gone." written by an X user

"This one hurts different. Michael Lewis gave us one of the most iconic reaction pics of the decade and nobody knew his face while he was here. That's the part that gets me." an X user wrote

"May he rest in peace. My deepest condolences and sympathy to his loved ones." commented an internet user

Trending

"RIP. Thanks for bringing us joy with the unintended meme material." said a social media user

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