AOL News has a new home! The Huffington Post.

Click here to visit the new home of AOL News!

Hot on HuffPost:

See More Stories

Surge Desk

Harvey Pekar, Creator of 'American Splendor' Comic, Dies at Age 70

Jul 12, 2010 – 1:01 PM
Text Size
David Knowles

David Knowles Writer

(July 12) -- A pioneering figure in the world of comic books, Cleveland artist Harvey Pekar passed away early this morning. Pekar's wife, Joyce Brabner, told The Associated Press that Pekar suffered from prostate cancer, high blood pressure and asthma. Pekar was 70 years old.

Pekar was the creator of the autobiographical comics series "American Splendor," a chronicle of the anxiety and depression of everyday middle-class life in Cleveland. Here is the trailer from the film:



During the late 1980s, Pekar was a frequent guest on "Late Night With David Letterman," spawning several memorable clips.



Here's a 2009 interview Pekar did with Pennsylvania's WPSU in which the artist recounts how his career began, including his first meeting with his single greatest influence, comics legend Robert Crumb.

Filed under: Entertainment, Surge Desk

ON FACEBOOK