Stamford Cartoonist Mort Walker, Creator Of 'Beetle Bailey,' Dies

STAMFORD, CT — Mort Walker, the creator of the icon comic strip "Beetle Bailey," passed away Saturday at his home in Stamford from pneumonia, writes the National Cartoonist Society, Washington Post and other media outlets. He was 94 years old and had been the Honorary Chairman of the society.

Walker was one of the most famous cartoonists in America for decades, and was a member of a formidable group of cartoonists who lived in Fairfield County during the 20th and 21st centuries.

According to Bill Morrison, President of the NCS, Walker "had sold 300 cartoons by the age of 15. He was the chief designer for Hallmark Card Company at the young age of 18."

Walker launched "Beetle Bailey" - about a lazy G.I. at the hapless Camp Swampy - in 1950, and it grew to be syndicated to 1,800 newspapers in 50 countries. The combined readership of "Beetle Bailey" at the time was 200 million people, and Walker drew the strip himself for 68 years. He also created the cartoon "Hi and Lois," about a loving family.

Click here to read Morrison's tribute to Walker on the National Cartoonist Society website.

Photo of Mort Walker in 2010 in his home studio in Stamford (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)