An Israeli cartoonist who was known around the world, Ranan Lurie, died at the age of 90, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz.
Lurie’s parents lived in Israel when he was conceived, and he was born in Egypt but later lived in the U.S., in New York, Connecticut, and Las Vegas, Nevada, where he died Wednesday of unknown causes.
His death was confirmed by his son, who said more information would be forthcoming.
His career as an artist and cartoonist spanned 70 years, and began when he was injured in fighting in Israel’s War for Independence as a teen.
His start
While in the hospital recovering from injuries, he began drawing because he had pencil and paper in hand.
“By chance, I had a pencil and some paper in the hospital. So I drew. By the same token, if I had had a violin there, I might have been a great violinist today,” he said in his autobiography, according to Haaretz.
Lurie drew an estimated 12,000 cartoons during his lifetime, and at one point was published simultaneously in about 1,000 publications in a total of 103 countries around the world.
In total, there have been about 104 million copies of his work.
Prolific career
Lurie famously said in 2017, “A camera can never, even if it is the most sophisticated, accurately identify a person more than the painter or cartoonist ever could perceive, for they know how to reveal their true character.”
He was able to draw Israeli prime ministers Ben-Gurion, Rabin, Netanyahu, and Eshkol, along with hundreds of high-ranking leaders and personalities, dictators and terrorists from around the world.
He was invited at one point to do his one-man show for both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, a rare occurrence.
According to the Jerusalem Institute of Jewish Geneology, Lurie is a descendant of the royal line of King David.