Comic Arts Deaths in 2023 (final)

This will be updated as notices continue to come in. The list is an annual feature of the Comics Research Bibliography. Updates are marked with * - list finalized as of Jan 18, 2024.

 

Deaths in 2023 (with thanks to Bruce Guthrie’s Wikipedia mining, *Jamie Lang’s Cartoon Brew list, *John Freeman’s Down the Tubes list, *Wikipedia’s 2023 in Comics page, *DD Degg’s Daily Cartoonist list, *Didier Pasamonik’s ActuaBD list, and *Animation Magazine’s list) included editorial cartoonist Jim Adcock, Harmony Gold animation distributor Frank Agrama, Swedish animator Per Åhlin, Orang Utan Comics founding member Azim Akberali, Japanese manga artist Ryuzan Aki, *Dutch cartoonist Henk Alleman, Italian cartoonist Carlo Ambrosini, *animator Craig Armstrong, DC Comics librarian Allan Asherman, Belgian comic book artist Jo-El Azara (aka Joseph Loeckx), Spanish cartoonist Toni Batllori, Dave Comics (Brighton England) manager Stephen Bamford, Canadian animator Ted Bastien, Jack Bender, Golden Age comic collector Jon S. Berk, *animator Susan Bielenberg, tv animation syndicator Edward Bleier, Russian animator Natalya Bogomolova, *BC Boyer, *Disney animator David Braden, *animator Ernesto Brieno, Hero Initiative coordinator Kevin Brogan (of Covid), French comics writer Jean-Yves Brouard, Chris Browne, *animation checker and painter Susan Burke, *British comic artist John Burns, British experimental animator Paul Bush, political cartoonist Clay Butler, *French comic writer Thierry Cailleteau, Italian cartoonist Renato Calligaro, *French cartoonist Louis Cance, Doonesbury inker Don Carlton, Brazil’s Paulo Caruso, French BD artist Jean-Claude Cassini, Italian comic book artist Massimo Cavezzali, “Yarns of the Yellowstone” cartoonist Bill Chapman, *storyboard artist John “Rich” Chidlaw, *Duck Soup Produckions co-founder Roger Chouinard, TV’s first Lois Lane Phyllis Coates, *French cartoonist Thierry Courtin, animator and Disneyland designer Rolly Crump, India’s Amul girl’s creator Sylvester daCunha, *animator Sukhdev Dail, *Scottish comic writer Jim Dallas, *Dutch cartoonist Wim de Bie, Bob de Groot, Toonz Animation Studios cofounder Bill Dennis, Elizabeth Woodward’s “Column for Teens” header cartoonist Ellen Derby (nee Keefe), *Belgian editor-in-chief of Journal Titnin Henri Desclez (aka Hapic),*British animator Alan Dewhurst, alternative cartoonist Michael Dougan, Canadian voice actor Ross Douglas, semi-pro panel cartoonist John Dusko, *Swedish comic artist Lennart Elworth, *British animator Ian Emes, Spanish cartoonist Enrich (aka Enric de Manuel González), *animator Don Ernst, comic book artist Steve Erwin, Brian Ewing, New Yorker cover artist Ian Falconer, *French exhibition curator and member of the Quai des Bulles festival Alain Faure, Wally (Trog) Fawkes, Yugoslavian Bosnian gag cartoonist Hasan Fazlic, Charles A. Filius, comic book inker John Floyd, *Australian animation legend Cam Ford, *animation storyboard artist Gerry Fournier, British graphic novel writer Christopher Fowler, Disney animator Randy Fullmer, *Hungary’s Attila Futaki, Argentine comics artist Ernesto García Seijas, Raleigh Comic Book Expo organizer Russ Garwood, American cartoonist Paul Giambarba, 2000AD's Ian Gibson, Joe Giella, MCU visual effects producer Diana Giorgiutti, Earthworld Comics store owner JC Glindmyer, Uruguayan cartoonist Tabaré Gómez Laborde, Pluggers contributor Gregory Grabiak, Dan Green, The Ph.D. Culture Cartoon Book author Gary Grobman, Dærick Gröss Sr., Sam Gross, comic store owner / Marvel employee / Geppi consultant Gary Guzzo, King of the Hill voice actor Johnny Hardwick, *British underground comix publisher Lee Harris, disgraced Australian cartoonist Rolf Harris, John Hart Studio gag writer-colorist-letterer Perri Hart, *animation technical director Vahe Haytaian, comic strip and comic book cartoonist Frank Hill, comic book historian Roger Hill, Egyptian cartoonist Ibrahim Hunaiter, British political cartoonist Tony Husband, Spanish cartoonist Francisco Ibáñez Talavera, Japanese voice actor Shōzō Iizuka, David Illsley, *anime director Satoshi Iwataki, Luke Cage TV writer Nathan Louis Jackson, John Jakes, *animation writer Gregory Joackim, Creators Syndicate comics department manager Pete Kaminski, *Doc Savage comic book cover artist Roger Kastel, *British comics agent Pat Kelleher, Japanese animator Takahiro Kimura, *animation color designer William “Bike” Kinzle, *animator Tony Klück, Edward Koren, Disney and animation historian Jim Korkis, illustrator Sandy Kossin, stop-motion animator Pete Kozachik, artist and graphic designer Frank Kozik, *Tatsunoko Productions anime studio co-founder Ippei Kuri, Japanese voice actor Yasumichi Kushida, *Belgian comic artist Lagas, *Softimage founder Daniel Langlois, *animation storyboard and layout artist Lin Larsen, *Space Ace publisher and comics writer John Lawrence, "postmodern cartoon art expressionist" David “LEBO” Le Batard, gag cartoonist Bill Lee, ‘Mulan’ singer and Chinese voice actor Coco Lee, South Korean cartoonist Lee Woo-young, editorial cartoonist Jay Leeson, *French cartoonist Pierre Le Goff, French cartoonist Paul Leuquet, *animation technical director Nick Levenduski, Emily & Toby cartoonist Virginia Lindemann, original Wednesday Addams actress Lisa Loring, French BD author Malo Louarn, *animator Gerald “Jerry” Loveland, *animation production manager Anne Luiting, *British cartoonist and animator Ric Machin, *animation layout artist and character Istvan Majoros, syndicate comics editor Sharon Malheiro, *animator Walter P. Martishius, collector Harry Matetsky, British comic book company Beyond The Bunker founder and colorist Ivanna Matilla, anime producer Shunpei Maruyama, Leiji Matsumoto, Disney animator Burny Mattinson, Bruce McCall, Ian McGinty, *Disney animation historian Russell Merritt, Amanda Panda and Harvey Pekar artist Jack Millie, comic book artist Lee Moder, Harvard Lampoon cartoonist Bob Moncrieff, Italian comic artist Giuseppe Montanari, NCS administrator Latisha Moore, Pluggers writer Tom Moore, *animator Ken Mundie, *Coco’s Mexican voice actor Ana Ofelia Murguía, Hisaya Nakajo (aka Peco Fujiya and Ryou Fumizuki), Russian animator Vyacheslav Nazaruk, Indian cartoonist Ajit Ninan, Norwegian cartoonist Dina Norlund, Crash Bandicoot videogame voice actor Brendan O'Brien, collector and scholar Richard D. Olson, Italian comic book artist Graziano Origa, Ukrainian writer for TCJ Evheny Osievsk, Dutch cartoonist Richard Pakker, voice actor Jansen Panettiere, *Argentine comic artist Carlos Pedrazzini (aka Salomon Grundig), Scott Pellegrini, Sri Lankan cartoonist Camillus Perera, French cartoonist Jean-Louis Pesch, Australian cartoonist Bruce Petty, Italian comic artist Luigi Piccatto, Canadian political cartoonist Peter “Pic” Pickersgill, *animation writer Duane Earl Poole, underground cartoonist Joshua Quagmire (aka Richard Glen Lester II), *animator Dick Rauh, Paul Ramboux aka “Sidney”, MCU stuntman Taraja Ramsess, animation writer Michael Reaves, *animation voice actor Lance Reddick, *French-Canadian Hubert Reeves, *voice actor Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman, *animation background designer Jeffrey Riche, *cel painter Filonella “Nellie” Rodriguez Bell, *animator Jessie Romero, Portfolio Entertainment’s co-founding partner and CEO Joy Rosen, Mexican artist José Luis Ruiz Pérez, Pittsburgh comic book shop owner Ron Russitano, animator William Ruzicka, *animator Lucinda Sanderson, 'Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto' manga creator Nami Sano, St. Louis Post-Dispatch cartoonist Al Schweitzer, Japanese voice actor Mitsuo Senda, *French comics artist Patrice Serrin, Belgian animator Raoul Servais, Gerry Shamray, Robotman creator Peter Shelley, Kentucky comic store owner Rickey Sheppard, *Brazilian comic book colorist PC Siqueira, comic book writer Steve Skeates, Dutch comic store owner Han Slotema, colorist Jasen Smith, Fox Television Animation storyboard cleanup artist Jeff Scott Smith, Harley Quinn inspiration and voice actor (and Tiny Toon Adventures writer) Arleen Sorkin, American voice actor Peter Spellos, art dealer Allen Spiegel, Italian cartoonist Sergio Staino, *animator Allen Stovall, *Strahle’s Baliwick comic panel cartoonist Jim Strahle, former college editorial cartoonist Robert Stringer, Indian cartoonist Sukumar, African-American animator Leo D. Sullivan, Beano “Bash Street Kids” artist David Sutherland, Canadian animation supporter Hélène Tanguay, Italian artist Saverio Tenuta, Buichi Terasawa, *Italian writer Antonio Tettamanti, Toei President Osamu Tezuka, direct market pioneer Mel Thompson, British comic strip cartoonist Bill Tidy, St. Petersburg Times editorial cartoonist Joe Tonelli, Japanese manga artist Yoshiko Tsuchida, French BD writer Eddy Vaccaro, comics historian and art dealer Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr., *Dutch cartoonist Rupert van der Linden, *Netherlands-based Academy Award-winning animation producer Cilia van Dijk, *French publisher of Marvel Claude Vistel, ‘Lois & Clark’ writer and producer Jeff Vlaming, Mike Voiles of Mike's Amazing World of Comics website, Egyptian cartoonist Ragai Wanis, voice actor Jimmy Weldon, *Dutch cartoonist Harr Wiegman, MECCAcon founder Maia Crown Williams, Doug Wright Awards patron Phyllis Wright Thomas, Studio Ghibli art director Nizo Yamamoto, editorial cartoonist John “Yardley” Yardley-Jones, *Swedish cartoonist Leif Zetterling.