In the multitude of lectures I've given around the globe regarding the world of film, the one question most asked is "Who are the most talented people you have worked with?" My response has always been the same. I have worked with many who have touched on brilliance, but there's only one I consider a genius: Helmut Newton. He is the true master of the still frame, elevating the art of photography to heights that will make it a dominant art form of the 21st century.

My opinion of his genius does not stand alone. Several European capitals made a bid for the honor of housing his archives, a process that culminated in the building of the Helmut Newton museum in the center of Berlin. Over dinner in January he asked me to be a guest speaker at its inauguration this coming June 3. Imagine: he is the first artist of photography to have a major museum devoted to his masterworks. Again, breaking barriers for the genre.

My one solace is that he did not die. His thumbprint on the world will live for time and eternity.

A few moments ago, June, his extraordinary wife of 55 years, called me. "I know Helmut would want me to ... tell you that he beat you to the barn." Then softly she added, "No one loved you more than Helmut." Well, dear Helmut, no one loved you more than me.