Acclaimed South Korean artist Kim Jung Gi has died at age 47. Collaborator Hyun Jin Kim took to Kim’s social media accounts to confirm that the artist suffered a heart attack after leaving a gallery exhibit of his work in Paris and arriving at the airport, where he was to fly to New York City to appear in Artists’ Alley at New York Comic Con. “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we inform you of the sudden passing of Kim Jung Gi,” he wrote. “After finishing his last schedule in Europe, Jung Gi went to the airport to fly to New York, where he experienced chest pains and was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery, but sadly passed away. After having done so much for us, you can now put down your brushes. Thank you Jung Gi.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
The Daniel Maghen Gallery in Paris, where Kim’s work is on exhibition, posted to Instagram more information about the artist’s passing. “t is with a great sadness that we inform you of the death of Kim Jung Gi on Monday evening in Paris,” the post reads. “The South Korean artist died after a heart attack at the age of 47. His sudden disappearance contrasts with the immense happiness he brought us. We are speechless. Daniel Maghen, the entire gallery team, and particularly Olivier Souillé, who had accompanied him for ten years, are terribly affected by his loss. All our thoughts are turned to his family, his wife and his two children, his friends, his collaborators Kim Hyun Jin, Boin Lee, Jean-Christophe Caurette… and his fans, for whom his disappearance will leave a great void.” The post also confirmed that, at the request of Kim’s family, the exhibition of Kim’s work will continue at the gallery through October 8th.
Kim was an art school graduate, who also served two years in the South Korean special forces, was best known for his ability to draw incredibly detailed and action-packed crowd scenes seemingly off the cuff. He has drawn comics for Young Jump magazine, illustrated novels, and created the manwha TLT or Tiger the Long Tail.
In 2016, Marvel Comics published eight connecting variant covers to its Civil War II event series that, when put together, revealed Kim’s depiction of a massive battle between the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Marvel released a time-lapse video, seen above, that showed how Kim created the piece.
