‘Kissing Nurse’ From Famous World War II Photograph Dies

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It’s perhaps the most iconic photograph from the victory celebrations of World War II, and the nurse who made it possible, Edith Shain, is dead at 91.

Reuters reports that Shain, the nurse in the famous Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph from the V-J celebrations in Times Square marking the end of U.S. hostilities with Japan, died in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Shain worked at Doctor’s Hospital in New York during the war, and her kiss with the anonymous sailor — his identity has never been discovered — was captured by Eisenstaedt for LIFE.

“My mom was always willing take on new challenges and caring for the World War II veterans energized her to take another chance to make a difference,” said son Justin Decker. (Reuters, via MSNBC)

See the story of the famous photograph on LIFE.com.