Writer and illustrator Johnny Hart, whose award-winning B.C. comic strip appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide, died of a heart attack on Saturday. He was 76.

The cartoonist was working at his storyboard drawing table in his Endicott, NY, home when he suffered a stroke and died.

Hart was best known for his 1958 comic strip creation B.C., which featured cavemen and anthropomorphic animals through various prehistoric eras. In 1964, he co-created (with artist Brant Parker) and wrote The Wizard of Id, about medieval characters living in the oppressed kingdom of Id.

B.C. has gone on to appear in more than 1,300 newspapers with an audience of 100 million, according to Creators Syndicate Inc., which distributes it. Id, which has earned several awards, has also had a healthy run in syndication.

Richard Newcombe, founder and president of Creators Syndicate in Los Angeles, said that Hart was the first cartoonist to sign with the company 20 years ago and that B.C. and Id will continue. Hart’s family members have been helping produce the strips for years, and they have an extensive computer archive of Hart’s drawings to work with, he said.

Hart is survived by his wife Bobby, and two daughters, Patti and Perri. He was a native of Endicott, about 135 miles northwest of New York City, and drew his comic strip at a studio in his home there until the day he died.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Nineveh Presbyterian Church.

Source: Yahoo!