PARIS (AP): 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.
“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.
We're going desi, by Toutatis! How did Asterix and Obelix learn to speak fluent Hindi?
Asterix comics in Hindi! Om Books releases complete series after five years of translation
Actor Aamir Khan is giving family goals with his cute Asterix pictures
This cookbook get its inspiration from Asterix & Winnie The Pooh
Patrick Stewart recites Shakespeare's sonnets for fans to overcome coronavirus woes
Jazz giant Manu Dibango dies at age 86 in France of coronavirus
Ruchika Tomar wins PEN/Hemingway Award for debut novel, A Prayer for Travelers
Birthday girl Kangana recites Kaifi Azmi in tribute to martyrs, fan wishes pour in on social media
'Completely recovered': Quantum of Solace actress Olga Kurylenko says she's free of coronavirus