Brad Anderson: 'Marmaduke' Creator, Cartoonist Dies At 91

Brad Anderson, the cartoonist and creator of the well-loved comic strip "Marmaduke" has passed away.

Anderson, who was 91-years-old, passed away on August 30 in a hospital in The Woodlands Texas, according to The New York Times. His son, Paul, revealed that his father had suffered from congestive heat failure.

Anderson had started the popular comic strip back in 1954, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He had started as just a teenager, and sold his first comic at just 15-years-old to Flying Aces Magazine. He continued to create comics while he served in the Navy during World War II before he went on to graduate from Syracuse University in 1951 with a degree in advertising.

He started off working for an advertisement agency, but left shortly after to focus on his freelance cartooning, which is where the idea for the "lovable curious Great Dane" Marmaduke came about. "Marmaduke" was featured in more than 500 newspapers across the country, as well as in Germany, Sweden, Greece and England.

The National Cartoonists Society paid tribute to the historical and well-loved cartoonist on their website. "The NCS and the world of cartooning lost one of its true luminaries last week," the statement read. "The NCS mourns the loss of a longtime member of its family, and a true giant of cartooning."

Anderson is survived by his wife Barbara of nearly 70 years, a daughter Christine, three sons, Craig, Paul and Mark, six grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. He continued working on "Marmaduke" up until his death with some help from his son Paul in recent years.

Back in 2010, Anderson opened up about the love he had for his job. "Every day, I go to work still enjoying the challenge of creating expression and body language," he said, according to The Huffington Post. "It's never a burden, never a job. It's just fun."

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