John Romita Sr. has been reported dead by his son, John Romita Jr. He shared in a Twitter post that the legendary comic artist died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. He was 93.
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“I say this with a heavy heart. My father is a legend in the art world and it would be my honor to follow in his footsteps. Please keep your thoughts and condolences here out of respect for my family. He was the greatest man I ever met,” John Romita Jr. wrote.
Romita Sr.’s first comics work was in 1949 as a ghost artist for Timely Comics, the precursor of Marvel, through which Romita met editor-in-chief, Stan Lee. He began drawing horror war, and romance comics for Atlas Comics in 1951, and he also drew his first superhero work, a 1950s revival of Captain America.
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He started working exclusively for DC Comics from 1958 to 1965 and was the artist for many of their romance comics. During his time there, he developed his ability to draw beautiful women, which he later became well-known for.
“Sorry to hear about the great comic book artist John Romita Sr. passing at the age of 93. My brother & I wrote Mr. Romita when we were young kids & sent him drawings of superheroes we were working on. He wrote us back, telling us what he liked about the drawings! A truly memorable experience in my life, making me feel like the magic of comic books, which seemed so otherworldly, wasn’t actually that far away. My thoughts & condolences are with his family & loved ones,” Senior DC Director, James Gunn wrote in a tribute post.
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