Italian American artist Bill Viola, one of the most influential masters of contemporary art and one of the great pioneers of new media, has died at 73. The video art giant, known for his iconic installations and immersive works, died at his home in Long Beach, California, from complications due to early Alzheimer's.

Viola grew up in Queens, New York, and Westbury, New York. He attended P.S. 20, in Flushing, where he was captain of the TV Squad. On vacation in the mountains with his family, he nearly drowned in a lake, an experience he described as "… the most beautiful world I've ever seen in my life" and "without fear," and "peaceful."

Also known as "the Caravaggio of video art" and "the Rembrandt of the video age," throughout his career, he has explored the passages of life with his expressive language, dealing especially with themes related to birth, death, romantic love, redemption and rebirth, and always drawing inspiration from Renaissance painters.

Viola used to make unique triptych-videos, combining the ancient with the modern. He himself told of using the latest technology "to evoke the oldest emotions." His iconic works have been exhibited and acquired by the most prestigious institutions in New York and Los Angeles, such as the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Getty Museum. The last museum, in particular, rarely exhibits contemporary art (other than photography), but made an exception for the 2003 exhibition "Bill Viola: The Passions."