He was 95.
David Fahey, co-owner of the Fahey/Klein Gallery that displayed Stern's work for decades, says the 95-year-old died Saturday in Los Angeles after being hospitalized.
The Los Angeles Times says Stern, a longtime smoker, had emphysema.
Stern, who shot for Life, Look and other magazines, honed his skills as a war photographer.
But he gained fame for photos of icons like Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and John Wayne in unguarded moments.