Christopher Voelker, Creative Force who Helped Define New Mobility, Dies at 53


Christopher-Voelker
Christopher Voelker

Christopher Voelker, whose stunning photography captured the lives and lifestyles of famous actors, musicians, and a vibrant community of people with disabilities, died Thursday, Sept. 11, of an apparent suicide at his residence in Northridge, Calif. He was 53.

Known in disability circles for his striking New Mobility covers, Voelker brought new meaning to the word glamour by capturing wheelchair users in iconic, yet unique images. His cover photo of actress Teal Sherer in a classic Hollywood pose instantly shatters a stereotype while celebrating uncommon beauty. Each cover was a work of art that expressed not only potential, but substance and wit. He once said that in photographing people with disabilities, it was as if he put himself both behind and in front of the camera.

Voelker also built a successful business as a Hollywood image maker, photographing the likes of David Lynch, Christina Applegate, Ringo Starr, Mick Fleetwood and Lauryn Hill, among hundreds of others. That he was able to attract such a long list of star clients was a source of personal pride for Voelker, a C6-7 quad, given how notoriously superficial and competitive Los Angeles is.

But despite this challenge, Voelker was a respected friend of many in Hollywood. “I’m numb and my heart’s broken by Chris’ passing,” says actor Robert David Hall, a frequent Voelker subject. “He was a close, dear friend and an amazing talent. A wild soul who lived with great pain and managed to create some of the most stunning photographs I’ve ever seen.”

Voelker took a certain glee in being creative and even “weird” in photo shoots — always pushing the boundaries of what other people had envisioned. As he said in 2006, “I hope that my legacy will be one of not looking at my disability, but of looking at the tangible works that have come from my dreaming while awake.”

A dreamer, for sure, but also a doer. He took seriously his ability to serve as a role model for other photographers with disabilities, mentoring people in an SCI support group and sharing his knowledge of adaptive camera equipment freely. “I think a lot of people eliminate themselves, unnecessarily, from the possibility of making pictures,” he said in NM’s cover profile of him. When people visited his 5,300-square-foot, state-of-the-art studio and saw him at work, they witnessed for themselves how he represented all that people with disabilities could achieve. They also had fun. “A session at Voelker’s was non-stop Neil Young, Pink Floyd, or Jimi Hendrix,” says Hall. “Music was always blasting. Melanie’s [Chris’ wife] makeup jobs were flawless, and it was great watching Chris sail up to the ceiling on his makeshift hydraulic lift … always looking for one more great shot.”

Christopher Voelker's many accomplishments include photographing 36 New Mobility covers.
Christopher Voelker’s many accomplishments include photographing 36 New Mobility covers.

Voelker did not rise to success overnight. Humble beginnings in his parents’ garage, hard work in community college and years of doing actor headshots led slowly to the day when he was able to get off government benefits and become financially independent. That independence and his ability to direct his own life and take risks were paramount to him.

In recent years, he shared his growing concern about the media revolution in which “everyone’s a photographer.” As demand for his work dwindled, he became distraught about his professional and financial future. But he had been poor before, through all kinds of hardship from spinal cord injury to divorce. In the past few months, however, he started talking with friends about the option of suicide. On Sunday, Sept. 7, he took action, voluntarily overdosing on painkilling medication. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Tarzana, where he was placed on life support, but was declared brain dead the following Thursday.

Those closest to him knew of his long struggle with severe pain, chronic UTIs and other health issues. “He was at the end of his endurance with physical pain,” says one of his dearest friends, Michael Kellner, “and he came to a point where he could not see a future. But he always exhibited enormous courage, and his ‘checking out,’ as he called it, was his final act of courage,” says Kellner, an accomplished art director who collaborated with Voelker on several award-winning projects.

Voelker’s wife, Melanie Manson, says that wasn’t quite his final act. She sent this message to New Mobility while managing her husband’s gift of organs the day after he was declared brain dead:

“I am blessed to have had the opportunity to share my life with a truly amazing human. I feel such great sorrow for us all. This is a tremendous loss. Christopher was so generous, loving, kind, compassionate and a passionate individual, so very talented. He created new worlds that we all could get lost in. He was a master of light and a master of the camera. He touched so many people in such a significant way. The love we shared was like no other. He was my soul mate, my confidante, my teacher. I’ve lost my best friend but feel so very blessed that I had this opportunity to experience such beauty firsthand. I know he is now at peace and this brings me comfort.”

Family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in his honor to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.


Support New Mobility

Wait! Before you wander off to other parts of the internet, please consider supporting New Mobility. For more than three decades, New Mobility has published groundbreaking content for active wheelchair users. We share practical advice from wheelchair users across the country, review life-changing technology and demand equity in healthcare, travel and all facets of life. But none of this is cheap, easy or profitable. Your support helps us give wheelchair users the resources to build a fulfilling life.

donate today

8 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Eric Stampfli
9 years ago

Chris was a remarkable and gifted artist. To everyone in his and the New Mobility Family I am so very sorry for this loss.

Eric Stampfli

Sunny Bak
9 years ago

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of a sweet man and a friend.
RIP Christopher

Theresa Dieriex
Theresa Dieriex
9 years ago

I am glad I had the opportunity to meet Chris at a workshop in his studio…So sad…but may he Rest in Peace now…

Candi Cane Cooper
Candi Cane Cooper
9 years ago

Your pain is over, RIP Christopher….

You always asked me if I would find you on the other side…
And I always replied, don’t worry I will …..

M
M
9 years ago

The pod bay doors are open; your friendship was The Ultimate Trip.

Ed Ho
Ed Ho
9 years ago

You can fly now Chris… Wide Open Throttle. Find me when I get there.

Yurick
Yurick
9 years ago

Thanks for so many fun great years on the set. You have shown the world that anyone can make it they try! You did it with such a passion and I was so happy to be there and watch you work by your side. You will be missed my friend!

W
W
9 years ago

The time is gone.
The song is over.