Cartooning Legend Bill Gallo, 1922-2011

NCS Directory Bio

It’s a sad day in the comic art world today, as we hear that cartooning great Bill Gallo passed away last night at the age of 88 due to complications from pneumonia. Gallo’s career spanned over 60 years, and he was best known for his sports cartoon feature in The New York Daily News, which he had done since 1960. Although he was ill in recent months, he still continued to do his cartoons, his last one published in the Daily News on April 19th, 2011, just three weeks before he passed away.

Bill Gallo was a highly respected and award winning cartoonist, a two-term President of the National Cartoonist Society, Bill Gallo was awarded the NCS Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. He was also a recipient of the society’s Silver T-Square, the Elzie Segar Award, and multiple NCS Division awards. Bill was elected to the NCS Gold Key Hall of Fame just last year at the 2009 Reuben awards in Jersey City, New Jersey.

I didn’t know Bill very well, but had met him several times at NCS events and found him to be a consummate gentleman. Here is a New York Daily News article about his career and his passing, and they have also posted a gallery of some of his best work.

Rest in peace, Bill.