LOS ANGELES -- Howard Bingham, longtime personal photographer, confidant and perhaps the closest friend of boxing great Muhammad Ali, has died at age 77.Harlan Werner, Binghams agent and longtime friend, told The Associated Press that the photographer died Thursday.No cause of death was given, but another friend, sportswriter Mohammed Mubarak, said Bingham had been in failing health in recent months after undergoing two surgeries.During a friendship that spanned more than half a century, Bingham took literally hundreds of thousands of photos of Ali that ranged from the three-time world heavyweight champions many ring triumphs to quiet day-to-day moments with his family.He captured the young, handsome champion preparing for his first heavyweight championship fight against Sonny Liston in 1964 and, years later, the aging Ali, hands shaking from Parkinsons disease, preparing to light the flame and open the 1996 Summer Olympics.He photographed Ali greeting everyone from former President Bill Clinton to South African President Nelson Mandela to black Muslim leader Malcolm X. And he was there with his camera when throngs of awestruck fans surrounded the champ on the street.Although known largely as Alis photographer, Bingham also had a distinguished career as a freelancer.He photographed the 1967 race riots in Detroit and was at Chicagos Democratic National Convention in 1968, when violence exploded between protesters and police.In the 1960s, he developed enough trust with the fledgling Black Panther Party that its members gave him free reign to photograph them -- and their weapons stash -- for a feature Life magazine had planned.After the story was not published -- They got scared, he later told the Los Angeles Times -- he included the photos in his 2009 book, Howard L. Binghams Black Panthers 1968.He was one of the greatest storytellers of our time, said Werner. You look at the history in his photos. And the photos themselves, theyre just amazing.The public has never seen some of the best photos of Ali, Werner added, because the unfailingly modest Bingham never wanted people to think he was cashing in on their friendship. But he did publish a book including some of them in the acclaimed 1993 photo memoir, Muhammad Ali: A Thirty-Year Journey.Bingham started off his career in 1962 as a fledgling photographer for the Los Angeles Sentinel, a small African-American newspaper, and was assigned to cover a fight by an up-and-coming young boxer then known as Cassius Clay.He would tell Ali years later that he had no idea whom he had been sent to photograph, but when he saw Ali and his brother wandering around downtown after the fight, he offered to show them around. Later, he invited them to his mothers house for dinner.It was the beginning of a friendship that would endure until Alis death in June.The eldest of seven siblings, Bingham was born in Mississippi on May 29, 1939, and moved to Los Angeles as a child.He eventually enrolled in Compton Community College, where he failed a photography class. He blamed it on spending too much time having fun and not enough studying.But he applied to be a photographer at the Sentinel a few years later and, after repeated inquiries, he was finally hired.I went off on jobs, came back with underexposed film, blurred film, no film -- and I always had an excuse for what went wrong, he told the Los Angeles Times.Eventually, he learned enough about photography on the job to land the Ali assignment.Bingham is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and son, Dustin. Another son, Damon, preceded him in death.Joe Dumars Jersey . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Andre Drummond Pistons Jersey . 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Bill Laimbeer Pistons Jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win.SAN FRANCISCO -- Manager Walt Weiss certainly wants to get Colorados offensive woes figured out in a hurry.Nolan Arenado hit two doubles, but the run-starved Rockies lost their season-high sixth straight game and fourth in a row held to one or fewer runs with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco Giants on Monday.I thought our approach was better, we swung the bats better, but not well enough to put together a big inning, said Weiss, who before the game noted, Im not going to panic because we had a poor offensive series.The Rockies have lost their last three July 4 games and are 0-4 on Independence Day in San Francisco.Jake Peavy shut down Colorado and saved a taxed and tired Giants bullpen, backed by Angel Pagans two-run home and a solo shot from Buster Posey.Colorado loaded the bases in the second on Ryan Raburns one-out double, a single by Mark Reynolds and Nick Hundleys walk before Peavy was called for a balk to force in the games first run.That was it for the Rockies.I think the tendency is for guys who press to do too much and maybe some guys take uncharacteristic swings, pitchers feel like they have to go out there and be perfect, Reynolds said. Its a frustrating place to be as a team, but Ive been on teams where you go through these kinds of stretches and then all of a sudden something clicks and you go on a roll.San Francisco got that first run right back on Poseys 10th homer. Pagan, back in his old spot batting leadoff and playing center field in place of the injured Denard Span, connected for his fourth home run in the third against Tyler Anderson (0-3).The left-hander, making his fifth career start, allowed three runs and four hits in six innings while facing the Giants for the first time. He is still looking for first major league win.Hes done a nice job each time out for us, Weiss said. Unfortunately we havent been able to get him a win, but he put us in a position to win.Peavy (5-7) struck out six over 6 2/3 innings to bounce back from his third-shortest outing of the season. He left to a standing ovation and tipped his cap while exiting in the seventh after a two-out single by pinch-hitter Cristhian Adames. Giants right fielder Mac Williamson made a beautiful diving catch to start the inning.Santiago Casilla piitched the ninth for his 20th save in 24 chances.ddddddddddddANGEROUS ARENADOArenado is batting .378 (17 for 45) with three home runs, 18 RBI, eight doubles, a triple and eight runs scored in 11 games against the Giants this season -- so keeping his hits inside the fences and without an RBI counted as a good day for San Franciscos pitchers.Weve helped make every one of his cases, Gold Glove, batting title, all of the above, Peavy said.TRAINERS ROOMUmpires: Home plate umpire Gerry Davis -- with a history of concussions -- was hit three times, twice in the mask and then in the right arm in the fifth with Peavy on the mound. He stayed in the game. Umpire supervisor Ed Montague went to check on him after the fourth and trainers also examined him on the field.Rockies: Rookie SS Trevor Story was back in the starting lineup for first time in four games. The All-Star candidate bruised his right middle finger after getting hit by a pitch on June 26. He came into Sundays game against the Dodgers in the seventh inning on a double switch. ... RHP Adam Ottavino, out for more than two months with elbow soreness, joined the team Monday after rehab stints at Single-A Modesto and Triple-A Albuquerque. The Rockies closer could be activated before the All-Star break.Giants: RHP Sergio Romo was reinstated from the 60-day DL list after being sidelined since April 11 with an elbow injury. He retired one batter in the seventh for his fifth appearance all year. ... Span missed his fourth straight game with a stiff neck and received trigger-point injections. ... 2B Joe Panik is unlikely to return from a concussion until after the All-Star break.UP NEXTRockies: RHP Tyler Chatwood (8-4, 3.15 ERA) is set to come off the DL from a strained middle back that landed him on the DL on June 19. He is 1-1 against the Giants this season.Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (9-4, 2.20), a strong candidate to earn his fourth straight All-Star bid Tuesday, looks to build on his 12-6 career record against the Rockies in 24 starts. The ace is batting .246 (14 for 57) with four of his 13 career home runs -- including a grand slam -- and 15 RBI vs. Colorado. ' ' '