What happened to man who filmed infamous JFK assassination footage that 'haunted' him for rest of his life
On 22 November, 1963, the world was rocked by the news that US President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated while visiting Dallas alongside his wife.
The incident is one of the most shocking in US political history, with images captured on the day of the tragedy going on to be viewed by millions of people around the world.
Perhaps someone who was more familiar than anyone else with recordings taken on the fateful day was Abraham Zapruder, the man who would capture some of the most detailed footage of the assassination.
What is the Zapruder film?
A fan of the democratic president at the time, Ukrainian immigrant Zapruder had planned to record Kennedy's motorcade through Dallas, finding himself an elevated spot near Dealey Plaza. From his position, Zapruder was able to capture the motorcade as it travelled down Elm Street in colour.
Advert
However the footage he would film would be much more harrowing than anyone could expect.
READ MORE
SECRET US FILE DONALD TRUMP COULD NOW REVEAL FOLLOWING JOE ROGAN PODCAST PROMISE
While Zapruder was recording, President Kennedy was fatally shot by lone assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
The gruesome footage captures the moment JFK was shot in detail, as well as the heartbreaking aftermath in which his wife Jacqueline Kennedy could be seen gathering fragments of the president's skull as a Secret Service agent climbed onto the car.
Given the detail in which Zapruder's film depicts Kennedy's death, it's not surprising to learn the 26 seconds of footage became crucial to the subsequent investigation.
It was a key piece of evidence during the 1963 Warren Commission, which concluded Oswald acted alone and even earned Zapruder the title 'forefather of all citizen journalists' in the press.
What happened to Abraham Zapruder
As the man who captured a crucial piece of evidence, Zapruder was called to give testimony during the Warren Commission and later 1969 trial of Clay Shaw.
It's believed that Zapruder had been deeply affected by Kennedy's killing, with a 2013 story in The Guardian saying the images had 'haunted' him in the following years.
"I have seen it so many times," he said in his testimony at the Warren Commission, adding: "In fact, I used to have nightmares.
"The thing would come every night – I wake up and see this."
As well as handing over the footage to government officials, he would also sell it to LIFE magazine editor Dick Stolley, who recalled how Zapruder was worried the film would be 'exploited' if it fell into the wrong hands.
"[Zapruder was] very worried that [the film] would be exploited or used in a way that he would find tasteless and awful if it fell into the wrong hands," Stolley told PEOPLE of the exchange.
"You could see it — this was a man in absolute torment."
Zapruder died in 1970 from stomach cancer at the age of 65, having reportedly never used a camcorder again.
Brenna Cooper