Very sad news. I spent a couple days with Roy when I was a much younger photographer. He was extremely giving and supportive and I absolutely loved his work. He was a huge influence on my photography of musicians in the 80's and early 90's.
Roy DeCarava, besides being a seminal photographer, was also a master teacher. He ran the photography program at Hunter College, for years, and quietly influenced a general of younger photographers.
He was revered by both students and colleagues. He was very patient and giving to his students. I would sometime visit him before the start of his class at Hunter College. We almost never talked about photography, but Jazz. I would ask him about the the great Jazz Masters he had known and photographed; no one photographed them with as much sensitivity like Roy DeCarava.
I will truly miss him.