American cartoonist George Perez, a figure in Marvel and DC superhero comics, died at the age of 67 from pancreatic cancer, his entourage announced on Saturday.
“George left yesterday peacefully, at home with by his side the one who had been his wife of 490 months and his family”, wrote on the artist’s Facebook page one of his close friends, Constance Eza.
George Perez had started at Marvel in the 1970s, working in particular on the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. The designer had gradually moved closer to DC editions, Marvel’s big competitor, for which he collaborated on the “Young Titans” and helped relaunch “Wonder Woman” in the late 1980s.
“His contributions have been instrumental in advancing and reinventing DC’s long and storied history,” the publisher praised on Twitter.
“Our family at Marvel is mourning their loss,” reacted his competitor, stressing the importance of his work “through all the comics”.
George Perez announced his retirement in 2019 due to health issues.