By Daryl Lang

Richard Mills, a contract photographer for The Times of London who followed British troops to the frontlines in Afghanistan, watched fighters train in Somalia, and documented suffering children in Zimbabwe, was found dead July 14.

Mills, 41, had been on assignment in Zimbabwe when he died. His death was reported July 28 in The Times. The cause of death is under investigation but does not appear to be suspicious, says Jon Jones, deputy picture editor of The Times.

Media in Northern Ireland, where Mills is from, reported that Mills died of asphyxiation by hanging, apparently a suicide.

A veteran of the Royal Air Force, Mills worked briefly at The Irish News in Belfast and began freelancing for The Times in 2000. In 2001 he covered a 12-week dispute between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. He was soon being sent on international assignments, and covered conflicts in hotspots such as Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"He took his work very seriously," says Jones. "He kind of concentrated on humanity and the plight of the people. He wasn't just someone who went and took pictures of soldiers. He was very concerned about the people, civilians, caught up in these situations."

Among his notable photos was a picture from Zimbabwe of a 7-year-old girl battling AIDS and cancer, which The Times published in May. Before the girl died, Mills helped get the girl to a hospital with the help of donations from newspaper readers.

Like many journalists in Zimbabwe, where authorities are hostile toward the press, Mills had been working anonymously. The situation has made The Times cautious about reporting details of Mills's death; the paper would not even disclose whether Mills had been working with a reporter.

Mills won several awards for his photography, including a first-place 2006 Black and White Spider Award and 2003 News Photographer of the Year from the BBC show What the Papers Say.

Mills is survived by his wife, Zoe, and their son. A funeral was planned for July 29.