Anthony Causi, beloved Post sports photographer, dies of coronavirus at 48

Anthony Causi, a longtime photographer for The Post whose prolific talent and larger-than-life personality made him a fixture in the New York sports world, died Sunday of the coronavirus at North Shore University Hospital. He was 48.

Causi is survived by his wife, Romina, and their children, John and Mia.

“Anthony Causi was our colleague, our friend and a brilliant journalist,” Stephen Lynch, editor in chief of the newspaper, said. “He was, quite simply, one of the best sports photographers in New York City, capturing all the major moments of the past 25 years. Soft-spoken, funny, but most of all kind — he was respected by those he photographed and admired by those with whom he worked.

“The Post that you read, and the newsroom that we work in, are less colorful today because of his absence. Our hearts go out to his family, and we share their grief.”

A Brooklyn native, Causi joined The Post in 1994 as a photo messenger, graduated to photo editor and eventually became a full-time journalist photographer, which he called the attainment of a dream. In that role, he chronicled the highs and lows of the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets and more for The Post.

His action shots reflected his knack for being in the right place at the right time — his capturing of legendary Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera from behind, departing the bullpen and entering a sold-out Yankee Stadium, became his most popular photo — and his portraits of some of those same athletes off the field showed the array of relationships he built. In 2017, mercurial Mets All-Star Yoenis Cespedes granted The Post access to his ranch in Vero Beach, Fla. — and dressed in cowboy gear — because of the trust he held in Causi.

A graduate of Lafayette High School and Pace University, Causi prided himself on his people skills and his out-of-the-box thinking. His Twitter page biography concluded with some words of wisdom from Mark Twain: “You can’t depend on your eyes if your imagination is out of focus.”