Texas: Tom Moore, the “Archie” cartoonist who brought to life the escapades of the freckle-faced character, died in Texas. He was 86.
Moore, who began drawing cartoons while in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, died early Monday morning while in hospice care in his hometown of El Paso, his son Lito Bujanda-Moore said. He said his father was diagnosed with throat cancer within the past week and chose not to undergo treatment.
Moore drew Archie Andrews and his friends on and off from 1953 until he retired in the late 1980s. Annual sales of the comic regularly surpassed half a million during the 1960s, according to the El Paso Times.
Moore had signed up with Archie Comics in New York. Bob Montana created “Archie” in 1941, and Moore took over in 1953.
After retiring, Moore kept tabs on Archie and disagreed when the comic book company decided to kill off the character. The El Paso Museum of Art displayed some of Moore’s work and his vast comic collection about 20 years ago.
