Via Clifford Meth on the Nightcrawlers forum comes some very sad news — Dave Cockrum died this morning due to complications related to diabetes:
With a heavy heart, I regret to inform you that Dave Cockrum passed away this morning. After a long battle with diabetics and its varied complications, Dave died in his sleep early this morning.
Dave’s many creations—including some of the X-Men’s staple characters—brought tremendous joy to his legion of fans. For three decades, he was a beloved fixture at comics conventions across the country where he would sketch for a pittance and encourage would-be creators. Those of us who knew Dave personally will remember him as one of the sweetest, jovial, most generous individuals in the comics industry. I’ll miss my friend very much.
There are no details of services at this time. Dave asked to be cremated and his widow Paty is burdened with the news, so well wishers are asked not to call. Email can be sent to magnetorampant@yahoo.com
Mark Evanier remembers his friend at his own blog:
A fine friend and a fine artist, Dave Cockrum, died this morning from complications relating to Diabetes. Dave had been ill for some time and undergoing dialysis treatments. Still, here at Mid-Ohio Con (that’s where I am), his friends and fans are shocked to hear that we’ve lost him.
Dave was one of the first people I knew to make the transition from drawing for free for fanzines to drawing for pay for the comics those fanzines were about. Years later, that would become a fairly common segue but in the early seventies, fans were fans and pros were pros and the former rarely became the latter. Dave did, starting first as an assistant to established artists, especially Murphy Anderson. When Murphy was asked to draw a Legion of Super-Heroes back-up story one day, he begged off — “too many characters” — and recommended Dave. Cockrum not only got that job but became the feature’s steady artist and creative heart, helping to redesign the Legion and create new characters. Among his many strengths, he was a superb inventor of new costumes. Later, he did the same thing — only with greater success — when he and Len Wein revamped the old, cancelled X-Men strip into the new, highly-successful X-Men franchise at Marvel.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Paty and the rest of the Cockrum family.
November 26th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
Condolences to his family and his myriad friends.
November 26th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
Very sad news. He was one of my favorite Legion of Super-Heroes artists. Taken too soon.
November 26th, 2006 at 11:53 pm
There were few people I’ve met that had a love for comics, meeting people who read comics, and drawing comics, more than Dave Cockrum. He contributed a lion’s share to this medium and he will be sorely missed.
November 28th, 2006 at 4:17 am
I never knew the man, only his work. I remember the effect he had on me when I first saw his Legion work - fantastic. His work on the “new” X-men is still having repercussions. My condolences to his family and close friends.
Bel