Legendary Conan Illustrator Dies at 82

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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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

Borderlands Addict. Again.
Sep 9, 2008
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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

Halfro Representative
Feb 23, 2009
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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".

 

PurpleSky

New member
Apr 20, 2010
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George Palmer said:
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".

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

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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Well..seems like all the greats are dropping over as of recent...well, he left us with some good work at least!
 

Therumancer

Citation Needed
Nov 28, 2007
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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

Keeper of the GWJ Holocron
Feb 21, 2010
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That's so sad... =( RIP Mister Frazetta... =( Your genius lives on in the beautiful artwork you gave us. Thank you.
 

Tiamat666

Level 80 Legendary Postlord
Dec 4, 2007
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I will always love him. For being awesome.




Can't get more awesome than this.
 

Travdelosmuertos

New member
Apr 16, 2009
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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!
 

Yokai

New member
Oct 31, 2008
1,982
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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

New member
Apr 6, 2009
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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.
 

hansari

New member
May 31, 2009
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Tiamat666 said:
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

Elite Member
Feb 10, 2009
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PurpleSky said:
George Palmer said:
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".

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

Boyz! Boyz! Boyz!
Dec 3, 2008
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/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

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Aug 2, 2006
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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.