Albert Uderzo, one of the two creators of the beloved comic book character Asterix, who captured the spirit of the Gauls of yore and grew a reputation worldwide, died on Tuesday. He was 92.
The French press quoted family members as saying that Uderzo died of a heart attack in the Paris suburb of Neuilly.
Asterix, portrayed as a short man always wearing a helmet with wings, was created in the early 1960s by Uderzo and Rene Goscinny. The character lived in a village in Gaul, present-day France, resisting Roman conquerors, along with his plump, inseparable friend Obelix.
FILE - In this June 12, 2004 file photo, French illustrator Albert Uderzo poses with characters of his famous comics, Asterix, left, druid Miraculix, behind, and Obelix , right, during the awarding of the so called "Max & Moritz" award by the Erlangen Comic Salon2004 in Erlangen, southern Germany. Albert Underzo, one of the two creators of the beloved comic book character Asterix, who captured the spirit of the Gauls of yore and grew a reputation worldwide, died early Tuesday March 24, 2020. He was 92. (AP PhotoFrank Boxler, File)
“Albert Uderzo died in his sleep at his Neuilly home of a heart attack with no links to the coronavirus,” the French press quoted his son-in-law, Bernard de Choisy, as saying. “He had been very tired for several weeks.”
Uderzo initially illustrated the characters created along with writer Renee Goscinny. After Goscinny's death in 1977, Uderzo also took over the comic book's writing duties.
A spin-off theme park outside Paris draws tens of thousands of fans of the iconic resistance hero and his mighty sidekick, Obelix.
FILE - In this Sept. 1985 file photo, French author and illustrator Albert Uderzo poses with character Asterix in Paris. Albert Underzo, one of the two creators of the beloved comic book character Asterix, who captured the spirit of the Gauls of yore and grew a reputation worldwide, died early Tuesday March 24, 2020. He was 92. (AP Photo Olivier Boitet, File)