For five decades, he has survived, adapted, and reinvented, defining the way we see some of the world’s most iconic figures. His portraits of Madonna, Paul Simon, and Ray Charles are etched into pop culture, his commercial work has shaped global campaigns, and his fine art continues to evolve. But reinvention is no longer a choice—it’s a necessity.

For an artist who has built a career on controlling the image, there is one thing he can’t control: how he will be remembered. Unfaded is not a nostalgia piece. It’s not about looking back. It’s about what it takes to stay standing when the world threatens to move on. At its heart, this is a film about creation in the face of erasure, about an artist who refuses to fade quietly, and about the fight to leave something behind before time writes its own ending.

Through Heery’s story, Unfaded examines a larger truth: for any artist, for anyone who has built something that once mattered—what happens when the thing that defined you starts slipping away? Do you hold on tighter, or let go? Do you fade, or do you fight?