Chris Browne, the cartoonist behind the Hägar the Horrible comic strip and son of Hägar’s creator Dik Browne has passed away. Comics Beat brings word of his death, revealing he died “following a long illness” at the age of 70. Chris took over working on the strip after his father’s retirement and death, working with his brother Chance and cartoonist, working on the strip in some form from 1989 to 2023, over half of the character’s entire lifespan. Hägar actually celebrated its 50th publishing anniversary earlier this week on February 4th.
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His sister Tsuiwen Browne-Boeras confirmed the news in a statement on Facebook, writing: “With much sadness, I am here to announce, my brother Christopher Browne passed away peacefully in Sioux Falls, SD after a long-term illness. After our father passed away, he was the face of our family’s cartoon strip Hagar the Horrible. Besides drawing Hagar, Chris drew and illustrated children’s books. He always had a sketchbook in hand and loved to draw for people. He will be very much missed by his family and friends as well as his fans throughout the world.”
The National Cartoonists Society also wrote about Brown’s death, adding: “We are sad to announce the passing of one of our longtime valued members of the NCS community, Chris Browne. Hagar had only just celebrated his 50th anniversary the day before…We will miss his talent and his gentle and kind soul.”
Hägar the Horrible, which is actually a satire on life and not exclusively a Viking-themed comic strip, continues to be circulated and is hailed by King Features Syndicate as “the fastest growing comic strip ever.” When Browne’s father Dik created the strip, he ended up basing many of the characters on friends and family. The strip continues to be distributed across thousands of newspapers every day, publishing in over 50 countries.
