This was posted on Richard Corben’s official Facebook page on Thursday by his wife, Dona:

“It is with great sorrow and loss that I must share the sad news that Richard Corben died Dec 2, 2020 following heart surgery. He will be missed tremendously by his family, his friends, and his fans.
Richard was very appreciative of the love for his art that was shown by you, his fans. Your support over the decades meant a great deal to him. He tried to repay your support by working diligently on each piece of art going out to you. Although Richard has left us, his work will live on and his memory will live always in our hearts.
I will continue to conduct sales of Richard’s art through the Corben Studios website at corbencomicart.com. I will also be managing the ongoing process of publishing his work internationally. Please give me and my family a little time to collect ourselves and we’ll get back with you in 2021.”

Very sad news, though not entirely unexpected. I recently wrote a birthday post in honor of Mr. Corben's eightieth birthday. When one reaches eighty years old, every day is a gift. It would seem that Richard's time had finally come. I'm glad I was able to express my admiration for his work while he was still among us.

Praise for Corben and his work has certainly been abundant since his death was announced. Here are just a few examples ...

Liam Sharp: "One of my absolute heroes artistically. A sometimes painfully shy man he was never-the-less fearless in his art, pioneering his own unique technique and boldly creating epic, swashbuckling and erotic fantasy/horror masterworks unlike anything else in the comics world. The un-initiated will no doubt be familiar with his cover to Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell, but for me it was his Den saga that utterly changed how I thought of comics, and also colour.
I wrote to him about twenty years ago via his website just to say all of the above, and he wrote the most humble and generous message back - something I really did not expect. I wish I had printed it out, but alas it's lost to time now. Sad that I never got to meet him in person, but what a legacy! A true legend. I hope in death he was transported, like Den, to Muvovum, and is right now battling dramites and claiming a kingdom for himself."
Rob Zombie: “Sad to hear of the passing of a comic legend Richard Corben. Can’t even picture the 1970s without his art front and center. From his iconic Bat Out Of Hell album cover to his insane work in Heavy Metal Magazine no one came close to matching the power he put on the page. Needless to say it was an honor to have him illustrate my Bigfoot comic in 2005. Another master gone.”
Mike Mignola: “His work was larger than life (in every way) and totally unique. I never in a million years could have guessed that one day we would work together, but we did. I wrote THE CROOKED MAN specifically for him and to this day it remains my favorite Hellboy story.”
Frank Miller: “In general I would not say the underground made that big of an impression except for Corben… His science-fiction stories, those almost primitive black and white comics he did back then. I was very struck by the visceral punch they had, by the unusual artistic point of view. And also by the unabashed exaggeration. It’s as if you wanted a woman to have big breasts, you drew it. There was something just so joyously excessive and erotic about his stuff, that I just ate it up.”

The last page of Richard Corben's legacy is not yet written. It was announced in late October that Richard was working on the final page of his Dimwood project. Surely, the Fates would not be so cruel as to leave that last page unfinished.

There is also another Corben-inspired project in the works. A film based on To Meet the Faces You Meet, created by Richard in 1972 with Jan Strnad and funded through Kickstarter, is currently in pre-production from Parallax Studios. The producer and director, J. Allen Williams, had this to say:

“I discovered [Corben's] art at age 12 in 1972, and I've known Rich since the ‘90s working on many projects together. I'm grateful that through him I met his writer and friend, Jan Strnad, and we will continue finishing a film that owes a massive debt of creative gratitude to the master, RC.

I have so many thoughts and emotions, but few words. Every time I start to feel sad for my own loss, my thoughts turn to Dona Corben, his life partner, love, collaborator, and muse. She made me sandwiches at their old place on Bannister Rd. while Richard and I brainstormed graphics for Darkstar. My heart goes out to her right now - Richard is in a better place, perhaps Neverwhere. He'd like that, running around in Den's body, fighting lizard men, and vanquishing evil queens —King of his own domain.

Thank you, Richard,—fellow KCAI alumni, partner in art, and friend—thank you for 80 years on this earth, leaving behind an entire library of stories, worlds and fantasy for us to look to as you pass the final signpost on your journey to Neverwhere. I'll see you there one day, and will miss you sorely until I do.”

Feel free to click on the carousel gallery of Mr. Corben's classic, utterly unique art below.