By Karen Pearlman
April 23, 2026 (Salton Sea) — Kevin Connolly Key, a renowned professional photographer whose lens captured the stark beauty and environmental fragility of the Anza-Borrego Desert, Salton Sea and nearly all of San Diego County through the years, passed away on April 20, 2026. He was 54.
Known to friends and neighbors as “Kevin LiT!,” Key was a resident of Niland, California, living “off grid” at the Salton Sea, and was a cornerstone of the Bombay Beach artistic community.
According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office, Key died of blunt force trauma at the Pine Valley Bridge on the morning of April 20.
Key was preceded in death by his father, Bill Key, and leaves behind his mother, Clare Key, a brother Kerry Key, sister-in-law Carolyn Keen, nephew Alexander, and many uncles, aunts and cousins.
Some of Key’s artistic visions can be found on his website and on his flickr account. He also shared his own unique videos on a YouTube channel.
“Kevin was very fair minded and treated everybody equally and with respect,” said Key’s friend and fellow artist Kamala Venkatesh. “I want him to be remembered for the man he was… compassionate, always helpful to others, very bright, artistic.”
Venkatesh said that “His photography was most wonderful, his time lapses were perfect! His passion for photography led him to not seek work in the high-tech industry. So he made his love of photography into a business. He was a highly sought real estate photographer. He was a mentor to me besides being a good friend. He introduced me to astrophotography and inspired me to hone my skills.”
Born Dec. 15, 1971, in Illinois to Bill and Clare Key, Key’s relationship with photography began in a childhood darkroom in his parents’ basement. Though he initially pursued a career in software development after high school and he attended Coleman University, his passion for the camera remained a constant.
His professional pivot began as a side gig for Airbnb, where a representative noticed his evocative photos of abandoned buildings. In 2017, he left the software industry entirely to pursue photography full-time. For more than a decade, he operated Kevin Key Real Estate Photography in Ramona, becoming a sought-after specialist in twilight, aerial and drone photography across San Diego County.
In January 2024, Key followed his heart to the desert, relocating from Ramona to a trailer in Bombay Beach. He described the unincorporated community — famed for its eclectic mix of decay and avant-garde art — as his “happy place,” where he wrote on social media that he intended to spend the rest of his life.
In the desert, his work evolved from commercial real estate to environmental advocacy and fine art.
Key became a “visual historian” of the region, documenting geothermal activity and the receding shoreline. He was an outspoken advocate for the restoration of the Salton Sea and was frequently quoted in local news stories, urging for sustainable, water-based solutions over temporary measures.
“Kevin was a very happy man, full of energy and love for the Salton Sea,” his friend Collin S. Bueno wrote on social media. “He participated in the documentary ‘Salton Sea Perspectives,’ ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C37kUwDXG4w ) giving an interesting point of view about the Sea and what was like living right on the beach a few feet from the water. Descanse en Paz Amigo.”
Community treasure
Beyond his professional work, Key was a physical fixture in the Salton Sea and nearby desert communities.
He was often found at the local Ski Inn or working on art installations, most notably the “LiT Landing” dock extension. Friends and colleagues remember him for his sharp humor, his dedication to the “Lithium Valley” potential, and his ability to see the high-quality beauty in places others had abandoned.
On Facebook, Anza-Borrego Park Foundation board member Paulette Donnellon wrote:
“Kevin Key was a cornerstone of the Bombay Beach community, famously known as ‘Kevin LiT!’ More than just a photographer, Kevin was a builder and visual historian who dedicated himself to chronicling the Salton Sea’s evolution and lighting up the desert with his art. He didn’t just capture the spirit of Bombay Beach, he helped build it. Rest in peace, Kevin. May your desert winds always be warm and your light always be LiT!”
One of Kevin Key’s last shared photographs (below right) which he shared on April 18 on his X (Twitter) feed: “Star Trails Over the Judyth Fish in Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea. It’s been a really long time since I shot some star trails. I’m just getting back into it now. This is 2 hour and 20 minutes of total exposure time for the sky at f/3.2 ISO 400 24mm on April 17, 2026. Canon EOS R and Sigma 24mm Art lens.”
Key is remembered by the artistic community of the Imperial Valley and the real estate circles of San Diego as a man who lived with passion and precision. Tributes circulating among colleagues and friends highlight a man who truly “loved every minute” of his second act as an artist.
Venkatesh said that while Key was a programmer, even moreso he was a free spirit who did not like to sit in front of the computer for eight hours and turned to real estate photography.
“I know it took him some time to get his business going… In the last couple years, he was very successful,” she said. “In fact, he had too much work — that’s what he told me last week. He was also tired of driving back-and-forth from Salton Sea to San Diego.”
Venkatesh said Key was known for helping others, mentoring other photographers and spending time sharing information as well as learning from others. She remembers Key as being “extremely bright” and very handy, doing “all kinds of home improvement work.”
Making improvements and making art
A certified FAA drone pilot, Key was also resourceful and giving to the community in myriad ways.
On his LinkedIn page, he wrote that among his projects were “improvements to the AcuRite smartHUB Weather Station to Internet Bridge.”
“I made some improvements to a device that sends data from a personal weather station to various online weather reporting networks,” Key shared. “This is a small Windows app that makes use of WinPcap to grab data from the AcuRite smartHUB device and send it out in real time to Weather Underground and several other weather networks.”
You can see his work on that here: https://github.com/kevinkey619/Kevins-My-AcuRite-smartHUB-Reader
Key built the “The LiT Landing” in Bombay Beach as an art installation. He said he built it as a dock and pier for his boat that he used to film himself floating in the Salton Sea with. He said the pier was also for the public to enjoy “being over the Salton Sea… Part of the Bombay Beach Biennale 2026.” Photo at left by Kevin Key
Friends have been expressing their grief over the passing of Key all over social media, particularly on Facebook. Key had been forced from the social media platform several years ago, his account deleted for what he called “false accusations,” and was watching a class action suit against Meta.
Key had recently started a new account on Instagram here.
A friend, Kerrie Geary (Mafera) on Facebook wrote: “We lost a bright light. Bombay Beach’s own Kevin ‘LIT’ Key decided to change his universal location by making a permanent decision. That has left many of us hurting and wondering what we could have done differently. He mattered. Kevin will be greatly missed by the Bombay community that he gave so much of himself to. Life is short, too short sometimes. Know that your life matters even when you feel it doesn’t.
“BE KIND. BE GOOD TO OTHERS. HELP OTHERS WHERE YOU CAN. BE A KEVIN LIT. And if you need help reach out, people do care. May the peace you needed, now be yours Kevin. We love you and no one will ever be able to dim your light.
“Please take a moment to sign this petition and possibly save others from this fate: https://www.change.org/p/please-sign-and-share-suicide-barrier ”
Key’s family and friends are planning a celebration of his life in the coming months at Bombay Beach.