I saw today that this marks the fifteenth anniversary of Keith Parkinson's death. Time flies. I remember when news got out that Keith had passed away. Several artists I respect noted what a good guy he was, as well as being a very talented artist.

Mr. Parkinson's style always struck me as being in the same ballpark as Michael Whelan's, but with strong hints of Larry Elmore and Don Maitz. I probably first noticed his work around 1990. Keith was doing book covers for Ace and Del Rey, along with lots of stuff for TSR and Palladium Games. From there, he did work for Magic: The Gathering and EverQuest. Keith then struck out on his own, forming a game company with some fellow artists. You can read his biography here.

When I heard Keith had died and then read his bio, two things stood out to me: one was that he had been a drummer in rock bands for years before going full-time with his art.* The other thing was that he'd died of leukemia. It always sucks to hear of a fellow rock musician dying an untimely death. Knowing Keith died of leukemia, which has claimed more than one member of my own extended family, really hit home.

Keep on rockin', wherever you are, Keith.

Mr. Parkinson's website can be found here.

*Michael Whelan followed a similar career trajectory.