Comic book fans were left in mourning last week after learning that artist and writer Ian McGinty had passed away at just 38.

According to Gizmodo, McGinty died on Thursday and his mother put out a statement that read, "It is with deep sadness to share our tragic news. We lost our son, brother and best friend yesterday."

Mother says McGinty's death "will leave a hole in our hearts forever"

She went on to describe her son as "the kindest person to walk this earth, an extraordinary artist, and lover of animals," adding, "He will be deeply missed and will leave a hole in our hearts forever."

The statement concluded by saying, "Words cannot express how much this gentle soul meant to all of us. We will always love you, Ian. May your gentle heart carry on in the lives of so many you have touched along the way."

his mom posted (i am a friend) pic.twitter.com/NFzypt2tqv

— Claudia ✨ (@desertdracula) June 9, 2023

Gizmodo noted that McGinty's work included comics based on animated material, including Cartoon Network’s "Adventure Time," Nickelodeon’s "Invader Zim," and Frederator’s "Bravest Warriors."

Fellow artists post tributes to McGinty

He also created the comic book series "Welcome to Showside," which in 2015 was turned into an animated pilot by Modern Prometheus.

Tributes to McGinty quickly appeared on social media, including from fellow artists, one of whom recalled how "he worked more than I thought was possible, just constant creative output."

Every post about Ian McGinty is "he was the nicest dude in the world, he encouraged me as a young artist, he was so funny and kind" and then, inevitably: "he worked so, so, so much". He worked more than I thought was possible, just constant creative output.

— Kendra "Kenny" The Kid (@kendrawcandraw) June 10, 2023

Another artist said, "The depth of my heartbreak is not easy for me to measure, and I'm both numb and raw in seasons."

Thinking alot about my best friend @ianmcginty this weekend.

The depth of my heartbreak is not easy for me to measure, and I'm both numb and raw in seasons.
Thanks to everyone who's reached out. pic.twitter.com/bZNuahGESF

— Eryk Donovan - HEROESCON AA#213 (@ErykDonovan) June 12, 2023

Complaints over left-wing politicization of comic books

Some of the tweets referencing McGinty's death also contained the hashtag #ComicsBrokeMe, which has been used by many within the comic book industry to bemoan its problems.

That led one Twitter user to push back by arguing that comic book fans have been put off by an increasingly left-wing agenda.

#ComicsBrokeMe No, you broke comics. You took an industry that was on the upswing and drove it right into the dirt by blacklisting talented creators for being conservative, destroying beloved characters, and insulting fans who didn’t like what you were doing with characters they… pic.twitter.com/2a2kD0esoH

— Thor Odinson (@Thor_Odinson) June 12, 2023