Creator of ‘Marmaduke’ Cartoon Dies at 91

Brad Anderson, the cartoonist behind the beloved comic ‘Marmaduke’, died last week at the age of 91.

Anderson, who passed away Aug. 30th in Texas, created Marmaduke in 1954. The cartoon about the troublemaking Great Dane has been syndicated in almost 400 newspapers across the world, according to a statement from Universal UClick, which distributes the strip. Anderson has said that the cartoon got its strength because Marmaduke was a dog who acted like a dog, not a dog who acted like a person. Anderson and his wife had a Great Dane, named Marmaladee, who would sometimes try to swallow Anderson’s hand while he tried to draw, according to the New York Times.

Anderson served in the Navy in WWII and then attended Syracuse University. He worked briefly in advertising before deciding to work full-time as a cartoonist.

In recent years, Anderson was assisted by his son Paul, who helped him write and draw the strip.