The man made famous when he filmed an infamous clip of Los Angeles police beating Rodney King has died from complications related to COVID-19.
George Holliday passed away at a hospital in Simi Valley, California on Sunday, a close friend and business partner told TMZ. He reportedly was not vaccinated and had been at the hospital since mid-August.
Holliday's notorious video – captured from his balcony in the early morning hours of in March 3, 1991 – was seen worldwide, setting off a stunning and deadly chain of events. Holliday lived nearby and started filming after the officers' beating of King had already started.
Once his video made it to local news stations, it touched off a firestorm that eventually led to the LA riots after a jury acquitted four officers of using excessive force in King's arrest.
The Rev. Al Sharpton once told The New York Times that the "Rodney King video was the Jackie Robinson of police videos."
While Holliday continued to own the rights to the video, it remains in the possession of federal authorities. He "not made that much from it."
King later won a multi-million-dollar civil lawsuit against the department. He died in an accidental drowning in June 2012. For his part, Holliday later auctioned off his video camera with a starting bid at $225,000.
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