Deaths in the comic arts field in 2020

 by Mike Rhode

 COVID-19 has killed over 1,834,356 people in the world, and at least 303,823 in the U.S. as of December 31, 2020. We normally list the people who have passed in the comic book and strip, animation, editorial & political cartoon fields. This year, the list is probably the longest we've ever run. This list is excerpted from the Comics Research Bibliography (available here) which is updated daily on Facebook.  1/8/21: Additions marked with *.

Deaths in 2020 (with thanks to Randy Tischler of the Baltimore Comic Con, D.D. Degg of the Daily Cartoonist, Cartoon Brew’s animation list by Alex Dudok de Wit, and Animation Magazine’s list) included voice actress Patricia Alice Albrecht, comics journalist Bob “Mr. Media” Andelman, “Thomas & Friends” narrator Michael Angelis, comic strip artist and animator Román Arámbula, animator Kelly Asbury, Golden Age artist Allen Bellman, Vagrancy Comics’ Justin Benedict, voice actress Julie Bennett, assistant animator Dorris Bergstrom, Belgian cartoonist Arthur “Berck“ Berckmans, "Comics I Don't Understand" blogger Bill Bickel, cartoonist and comics historian Ed Black, animation matte painter Denise Blakely Fuller, “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, Frank Bolle, Claire Bretécher, “Norse by Norsewest” strip writer John Brinkerhoff, “Dear Basketball” star Kobe Bryant, animation background artist Alfred Budnick, editorial & sports cartoonist Bil Canfield, “Snow White” model Marge Champion, French cartoonist André Chéret, animation character designer and story artist Curtis Cim, Ron Cobb, comics collector & publisher Russ Cochran, 102-year-old “Buck Rogers” fan Jim Coffeen, Richard Corben, animator Doug Crane, Croatian cartoonist Alem Ćurin, Nick Cuti, animation & gag cartoonist Dan Danglo, animator Bill Davis, voice actor Jason Davis, British illustrator Jon Davis, Marvel television art director Matteo De Cosmo, animator Gene Deitch, French comic book creator François Dermaut, Mort Drucker, voice actor William Dufris, Ralph Dunagin, animator Tony Eastman, comic book artist Hy Fleishman, “PS Magazine” editor Paul Fitzgerald, Latin America specialist scholar David William Foster, German historian and translator Wolfgang J. Fuchs, Bob Fujitani, Carl Gafford, gag cartoon and fumetti writer Gerald Gardner,  illustrator Hector Garrido, underground comix cartoonist David Geiser, Thomas Gianni, Pixar’s Rob Gibbs, Argentine comic book artist Juan Giménez Lopez, animator Mark Glamack, DC Comics logo designer Milton Glaser, Peanuts correspondent Harriet Glickman, Swedish cartoonist Rolf Gohs, voice actor Danny Goldman, homeless cartoonist Ronnie Goodman, Archie Comics editor-in-chief Victor Gorelick, amateur cartoonist Carl Granath, X-Men cartoon’s Magneto voice actor David Hemblen, animator & Astrodome scoreboard cartoonist Ed Henderson, “Bill and Sue” comic strip illustrator Dorothy Henry, animator Harry “Bud” Hester, Grand Comics Database indexer and editor Jerry Hilligas, cartoon editor & gag writer Phil Hirsch, Marvel vice president Mike Hobson, voice actor Sir Ian Holm, animation director Cullen Blaine Houghtaling, political cartoonist Sandy Huffaker, gag writer Choc Hutcheson, Jim Janes, comic book & strip cartoonist Frank Johnson, African-American editorial cartoonist Samuel Joyner, French cartoonist Edmond Kiraz, Canadian animator Blair Kitchen, animator Bill Knoll, animator Helen Komar, Canadian animator/director Hana Kukal, SpongeBob ‘Sweet Victory’ songwriter Bob Kulick, Jiro Kuwata, voice actor David Lander, animation artist Nancy Lane, *Golden Age collector Lamont Larson, *Congressman and ‘March’ writer John Lewis, Belgium’s Ronald “Bing” Libin, editorial cartoonist Robert "RWL" Light, British small press cartoonist Marleen Starksfield Lowe, illustrator Annie Lunsford, Richard A. “Dick” Lupoff, Disney animation artist Sue Nichols Maciorowski, British pocket cartoonist Ken Mahood, Viz anime production assistant Peer Makepeace, comic book store owner Tommy Maletta, Belgian comic book author Malik (aka William Tai), Italian animator and cartoonist Ro Marcenaro, gag cartoonist Henry Martin, “Doc and Raider” webcartoonist Sean Stephane Martin, Izumi Matsumoto, amateur cartoonist Duane McKenna, comic book artist Frank McLaughlin, animation concept artist Syd Mead, Mexican voice actor Luis Alfonso Mendoza,  Croatian animator Vatroslav Mimica, indy cartoonist Kurt Mitchell, animation timer Maureen Mlynarczyk, animation cel servicer Francisca Moralde, voice actor Kirby Morrow, British amateur cartoonist Rose Mortleman, Minnesota comics and animation fan & historian David Mruz, “The Climax” comic panel cartoonist Ted Mullings, color flatter Garth Murphy, comic book artist Daniel Nakrosis, “Funny Fizzles” cartoonist Bill Nellor, Japanese voice actress Kumiko Okae (aka Kumiko Owada), sports cartoonist Murray Olderman, Denny O’Neill, animation storyboard artist Dominic Orlando, animation ink & paint supervisor Joan Orloff, Cuban animator Juan Padrón, Martin Pasko, animation checker Lisa Poitevint, illustrator Jason Polan, political cartoonist Stu Pomeroy, Wall Street Journal cartoon editor Charles Preston, Russian animator Anatoly Prokhorov, Malibu Times editorial cartoonist Fred Purucker, Canadian amateur cartoonist Qinni Qing, Quino, visual effects producer Rebecca Ramsey, “Pete’s Dragon” actress Helen Reddy, Grand Comics Database member Gene Reed, Canadian animator Nick Rijgersberg, gag and editorial cartoonist Marty Riskin, African-American political cartoonist Ron Rogers, Italian comic book artist Giovanni Romanini, stop-motion costumer and puppet maker Cesar Romero, executive director of Toronto Animation Arts Festival International John Rooney, Savannah political cartoonist and animator Jim Rose, Jumbo Pictures production manager Pamela Ross, animator Joe Ruby, Richard Sala, “Bev Hills” cartoonist Janet Salter, Russian animator Boris Savin, animation songwriter Adam Schlesinger, advertising artist Don Schnably, effects animator and teacher Gary Schumer, editorial cartoonist Tip Sempliner, Joe Sinnott, Sesame Street animation sound designer Jerry Slick, New York animator Ed Smith, animator Ken Spears, Canadian voice actor Norm Spencer, German cartoonist Uli Stein, underground cartoonist Steve Stiles, animation layout and background artist and art director Herbert Stott, animation designer and background and layout artist Marty Strudler, Disney animator Ann Sullivan, animation checker Rudy Tomaselli, animator Tuck Tucker, Asterix creator Albert Uderzo, Belgian animation designer and director Pino Van Lamsweerde, comic book inker Juan Vlasco, minicomics cartoonist Morgan Vogel, Alex Raymond background artist Mary Frances “Mae” Von Egidy, Wonder Woman TV show’s Lyle Waggoner, British cartoonist Brian Walker, animatio writer Phillip Walsh, Tom Ward, comics collector and Grand Comics Database member Gary Watson, Bob Weber Sr., voice actor Fred Willard, TV animation writer David Wise, animation director William “Bill” Wolf, No Huddle comic strip writer Sam Wyche, sports and editorial cartoonist Joe Yeninas, voice actress Hikari Yono, editor and translator of Tintin albums in Spain Conchita Zendrera, “B.C.” and “Wizard of Id” gag writer Elmer Zinner, Belgian comic artist Ward Zwart. Cartoon Brew listed the following people as “other members of the animation community” - Patricia Blackburn, Maureen Crane, James P. Finch, Hubert Gagnon, Michèle Pauzé, Al Sens, Craig Welch, and Catherine Zar - without any additional information as to their roles in the field.