Okay, I think we have sufficient confirmation. Sadly…
Famed fantasy artist Frank Frazetta has passed away at the age of 82. Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Frazetta was one of those child prodigies, drawing at a very early age. Though he at one point dabbled in baseball and was scouted for major league teams, there was never any doubt that he'd have a long, fabulous career as an artist, commencing with his first sale to comic books at the age of 16. For years, he worked in comics — funny animal comics for Standard Publishing, adventure art for EC and others, plus a long stint assisting Al Capp on the Li'l Abner newspaper strip — before he segued to painting paperback covers. Before long, he had carved out a reputation as perhaps the foremost artist in that field, certainly in his genre. Offers for movie posters soon followed.
It would be difficult to overstate Frazetta's impact and influence. Artists were inspired by his depictions of the human form. Writers were inspired by the evocative moods and imagery. Rarely has an illustrator so "connected" with his audience. That astronomical prices paid for Frazetta originals — one painting recently going for a cool million dollars — testify to his enduring popularity. And despite severe health problems, including a stroke that affected his right hand and forced him to begin working with his left, he continued to produce fine, important work.
Others will write volumes about Frank Frazetta so I don't have to. I only met him briefly a few times and have no particular insights to offer in that area, other than that he seemed — in those brief encounters, at least — to have a genuine delight in the popularity of his work. If anyone ever decides to do a movie of his life, the theme might be, "Poor Kid from Brooklyn Becomes Rich and Famous Doing Something He Loves." And that, of course, was possible just because he did it so well.