Some of Scavullo's more controversial work included a Cosmospolitan centerfold of a nude Burt Reynolds and photographs of a young Brooke Shields that some[who?]

[5] Scavullo's 1969 photograph of singer Janis Joplin with a cigarette in her hand was exhibited at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

[citation needed] When Carangi's heroin addiction made it impossible for her to find work later, Scavullo continued to employ and support her until her eventual death from complications of AIDS.

In 1981, Scavullo was commissioned by Mikhail Baryshnikov to photograph the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre, which formed the basis of an exhibition that was later shown in a nationwide tour.

[5] Scavullo died on January 6, 2004 (ten days before his 83rd birthday) of heart failure at the age of 82 while on his way to a New York photo shoot with a then up-and-coming CNN news anchor, Anderson Cooper.