Legendary Conan Illustrator Dies at 82

[John Funk]

Legendary Conan Illustrator Dies at 82

Frank Frazetta, the famed fantasy artist best known for bringing characters like Tarzan and Conan the Barbarian to life, has passed away at the age of 82.

If you've ever been a fan of Conan the Barbarian, your mental image of him may well have been heavily influenced by one particular person - and I don't mean Arnold Schwarzenegger. Frank Frazetta brought Robert E. Howard's Cimmerian to life on the covers of paperback novels and movie posters, and his trademark style - with muscle-bound fighters and barely-clad heroines engaged in fierce mortal combat with vicious and terrifying monsters - became hallmarks of fantasy and science fiction art.

Yesterday afternoon, Frazetta passed away from a stroke at a hospital near his home in Boca Grande, Florida at the age of 82. Over much of the past year, Frazetta's family had been Eleanor Frazetta [http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=13771], but that had been recently settled.

One of the most iconic and talented heroic fantasy artists has left us, and The Escapist extends its condolences to Frazetta's friends and family. May his legacy live on.

(The Cimmerian [http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=631770&GSub=95177])

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[Onyx Oblivion]

Rest in Peace.

Your work...was godly.

Just look at the cover Funk chose. That's amazing. The shadow on the bottom of his back, cast BY his own back, the chains, the snake, the creatures on the stairs in the background. The fact that you can tell, that even with his arms chained down, Conan is going to kick ASS, even without seeing his face in the picture, is a feat in itself.

 

[George Palmer]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!


dammit, I hate it when my heros die.



Such a brilliant artist. If you don't know of him or his work check out "Frank Frazetta: Painting With Fire".

Spoiler: Amazing Frazetta artwork, the guy was a genius...

 

[PurpleSky]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!


dammit, I hate it when my heros die.



Such a brilliant artist. If you don't know of him or his work check out "Frank Frazetta: Painting With Fire".

Spoiler: Amazing Frazetta artwork, the guy was a genius...

1973....yes I regret him dying,and I regret not knowing about him until now

 

[fix-the-spade]

A sad loss this. Guess he'll just have to paint heaven a new shade of awesome now.

 

[Jared]

Well..seems like all the greats are dropping over as of recent...well, he left us with some good work at least!

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Damn, I just found out about this. Always loved this guy's artwork.

 

[Therumancer]

Very, very, sad... he's one of my favorite fantasy artists.

I also really liked the animated movie he did with Ralph Bakshi (Fire and Ice) which seems to be underappreciated for some reason.

His artwork will truely live forever, having pretty much defined the word "awesome" visually.

 

[Eleima]

That's so sad... =( RIP Mister Frazetta... =( Your genius lives on in the beautiful artwork you gave us. Thank you.

 

[Tiamat666]

I will always love him. For being awesome.

Can't get more awesome than this.

 

[Travdelosmuertos]

I just pulled out my Frazetta collection books for reference on a fantasy piece I'm doing. I browsed through them for about an hour last night, appreciating every nuance of his work. This is definitely a bummer. I also pulled out my Boris Vallejo book. Shit, is he dead too?

*Quick check on wikipedia* Nope, still alive and kickin! And holy crap he lives only 40 miles from me!

 

[PopcornAvenger]

Rest in peace, dude.

You were awesome and you ROCKED.

 

[Yokai]

NOOOOOOOOOO
Frank Frazetta was awesome. He shall be missed.
I'm going to go buy a bunch of old Conan comics to commemorate him.

 

[Endocrom]

Lies! he didn't die from a stroke. He died slaying an agnorak beast that was trying to ascend into godhood, he saved us all from enslavement in the agnarok spice mines.

 

[CD-R]

I hope he gets a viking funeral.

 

[hansari]

Can't get more awesome than this.

Lies.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=frank%20frazetta&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

Not even google can contain his awesomeness.

The man was a legend. Few artists can rival the mans illustrations. Even after all these years, they still standup to the test.

 

[Rigs83]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!


dammit, I hate it when my heros die.



Such a brilliant artist. If you don't know of him or his work check out "Frank Frazetta: Painting With Fire".

Spoiler: Amazing Frazetta artwork, the guy was a genius...

1973....yes I regret him dying,and I regret not knowing about him until now

Go see a Doc called Frazetta: Painting with fire you can see a trailer here
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/05/frank-frazetta-painted-with-fire-.html

 

[Fearzone]

/salute

Thanks for keeping us informed. This one flew under the radar.

I remember as a teenager smuggling a Frank Frazetta art book through the living room past my parents... under my shirt... and it nearly fell out. We're not talking Conan covers. This was before the Internet. Playboy, Penthouse, and Chic would follow, but Frank Frazetta was the first, and while the rest are faded memories, Frazetta still has his own folder on my hard drive. Vallejo and Royo can't even say that.

 

[geldonyetich]

I hope I last until I'm 82. That's a pretty good run, he beat the odds (73.2 being the average age) by almost 9 years.

But, yes, damn good eye in that one.