The body of photographer Peter Beard has been found, three weeks after he was reported missing.

The 82-year-old, famous for his images of African wildlife, had disappeared from his cliffside compound in Montauk at the tip of Long Island, New York, on 31 March. He had been suffering from dementia. His remains were found in a “densely wooded area” of Camp Hero State Park, according to the East Hampton police department.

Beard rose to fame during the 60s and 70s as he worked from Hog Ranch, a 45-acre property in Kenya he purchased after falling in love with Africa. His work, which could sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, is often credited with sounding the alarm about human beings’ impact on our environment, years before it became a mainstream concern. His first book, The End of the Game, looked at the big game elephant poachers who changed the face of Africa.

Beard was also the archetypal American socialite. Born into high society, he mixed with Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí and the Rolling Stones, and became a fixture at Studio 54 during its heyday. He sought out adventure. He narrowly escaped death in 1996 when he was charged by an elephant and gored in the right leg. This was far from his only brush with death from venturing in the wild.

In a statement, his family said: “We are all heartbroken by the confirmation of our beloved Peter’s death. Peter was an extraordinary man who led an exceptional life. He lived life to the fullest; he squeezed every drop out of every day.’’

It continued: “His visual acuity and elemental understanding of the natural environment was fostered by his long stays in the bush and the ‘wild-deer-ness’ he loved and defended. He died where he lived: in nature.”