'Asterix' co-creator Albert Uderzo dead at 92

Albert Uderzo, who drew the "Asterix and Obelix" comics that delighted legions of children and adults over the past six decades, has died aged 92, his family said Tuesday. – AFP

Albert Uderzo, who drew the Asterix and Obelix comics that delighted legions of children and adults over the past six decades, has died aged 92, his family said Tuesday.

"Albert Uderzo died in his sleep at his home in Neuilly, after a heart attack that was not linked to the coronavirus. He had been extremely tired for the past several weeks," his son-in-law Bernard de Choisy told AFP.

Uderzo created Asterix in 1959 with the writer Rene Goscinny, who brought them to life in the French-Belgian comics magazine Pilote.

The adventures of the indomitable Gaul, with his winged helmet and formidable blond moustache, and his massive sidekick Obelix as they gleefully thwarted Roman legionnaires became a huge hit, with translations into dozens of languages.

The series has extended into 38 books, most recently The Daughter Of Vercingetorix from last year, though Uderzo had stopped illustrating by then, while Goscinny died in 1977.

Both men are considered founding fathers of modern comics and graphic novels, with more than 370 million of their books sold worldwide, and several stories turned into animated cartoons and feature films. – AFP