It's been more than 50 years since Federico Fellini first thrust the term "paparazzo" into the public lexicon with La Dolce Vita, and in that time, the relationship between photographer and celebrity has somehow become more bizarre than his famously fantastical film could have ever predicted.

Thanks to their omnipresent cameras, the paparazzi have helped blur the line between public and private, documenting triumphs and tragedies, breakups and meltdowns, and just about everything in between. And though their subjects claim to hate them, those same photographers are directly responsible for keeping the very famous, well, very famous. It's a symbotic relationship in every sense of the word (except when it ends in a punch-up, of course).

Here's a look at some of the most memorable moments in that relationship; the highs and lows from five decades of co-dependence, with the occasional threat of bodily harm thrown in for good measure. Love them or hate them, one thing is clear: the paparazzi are here to stay. By James Montgomery