Matt Irwin was born in Southport, England on 10 February 1980 and grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though he "didn't believe" and "felt rejected" for being gay.
He moved to London, and worked as an editor and then in-house photographer at the magazine Dazed & Confused, with his first cover shoot first in 2007.
[4][5] Irwin photographed Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Rihanna, Kesha, Rita Ora, Miley Cyrus, and Cara Delevingne, among others.
[4][5][6][7] After his friends did not hear from him for a few days, police found Irwin dead on 5 May 2016[4][8] in his London Fields flat on Mentmore Terrace.
[9] Irwin left an "Open letter to The World" on his laptop, in which he elaborated on his struggles with depression and "growing up in a cult".