Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

Steve Pepoon, who received an Emmy for writing an episode of The Simpsons as a freelancer, worked on other TV comedies like It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, ALF and Roseanne and co-created The Wild Th...ornberrys, has died. He was 68.Show more

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Jackson “Butch” Guice, a penciler whose 40-year career in comics included runs on Micronauts, Dr. Strange, The Death of Superman, and Ruse, died on May 1, 2025, at the age of 63. Guice began worki...ng in comics in 1981 with “Warlords of Light,” a sword-and-sorcery tale in Galaxia Magazine.Show more

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Longtime Comics Artist, Creator of Early Graphic Novel 'The First Kingdom'

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Artist, Teacher, Curator

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The former A.B.Gee director passed away last week, just a few weeks short of his 78th birthday. It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Geoff Smith, a well-known and cherished figure in t...he toy industry whose career spanned an impressive 50 years.Show more

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Toy World is sad to report that David Strang, founder of Wicked Vision, sadly passed away unexpectedly, on Monday 21st April. Wicked Vision became well known for products like boomerangs, discs, high ...bounce balls and yo-yos, as David built the company into a global brand centred on active play.Show more

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George Lowe was born on November 10, 1957 and passed away on March 2, 2025. George was born in Florida and got his first job at a local radio station. He attended the Radio Engineering institute of Sa...rasota and Pasco-Hernando Community College for college. George did occasional voice-over work for TBS throughout the 1980s and 1990s, but his career officially began when he was cast as the lead role in Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Aside from Space Ghost, George also recorded dialog for the film Radioland Murders, but his scenes were ultimately cut in the final film. He appeared in Sealab 2021, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, and in a number of Artix Entertainment games. He also did voice-over work for various media outlets and companies: San Francisco rock station KSAN, Cleveland rock station WNCX, the Fox, FX, and FXX television networks, and commercials for Dunkin Donuts and Capital One.Show more

Jim Curry, a writer and marketing manger on Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the Gex series, passed away in mid-February. Jim started out in the industry as a special advisor on 1991's Marvel land a...nd on the "Hometek Team" for Rolling Thunder 2. Most of his efforts on his various credits pertain to product marketing. His writing credits include Battle Cars, Bloom Omen: Legacy of Kain, and Akuji: The Heartless.Show more

Gene Hackman was born on January 30, 1930 and passed away on February 18, 2025. Gene moved around a lot growing up, but mostly settled in Illinois. Gene knew he wanted to be an actor at the age of ...10, but left home at age 16, lied about his age, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served 4.5 years as a field radio operator stationed in China as part of Operation Beleaguer. He later explained that part of his role was destroying Japanese military equipment. After his discharge in 1951, he moved to New York City. In 1962, he moved back to Illinois to study journalism and television production under the G.I. Bill, but left without graduating and moved to California. In 1956, Gene began pursuing a career in acting, joining the Pasadena Playhouse, where he and Dustin Hoffman became friends. The pair were voted least likely to succeed by their classmates. With a new spite-fueled desire to prove them wrong, he moved to New York to continue pursing roles. Between jobs, he worked at Howard Johnson's restaurant, but he began performing in several off-Broadway productions. Eventually, he made it to the main stage, and over the years he was featured in plays including Children From Their Games, A Rainy Day in Newark, Poor Richard, and The Natural Look. At this point, he had a number of television roles as well, like The Trials of O'Brien, Hawk, The FBI, and The Invaders. Television turned into film, and he appeared in films like Hawaii and Bonnie and Clyde, in which his role as Buck Barrow earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It wasn't until 1970, though, that he really became a star. He was nominated for another Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in I Never Sang for My Father, and starred in Doctors' Wives and The Hunting Party. He won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in The French Connection. After that big win, he starred in ten films over the next three years. At this point, he's a household name, and is acting alongside big names like Barbara Streisand, Robin Williams, Hugh Grant, Will Smith, and John Travolta. He was directed by huge names like Woody Allen, Alan Parker, and Clint Eastwood. In the early 2000s, Gene started to slow down. He co-starred with Morgan Freeman in Under Suspicion, Keanu Reeves in The Replacements, and Owen Wilson in Behind Enemy Lines. He won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in The Royal Tenenbaums. In 2004, Hackman announced he believed his acting career was over. He wrote three historical fiction novels instead, and appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, which was his very last televised appearance. Gene was married to Faye Maltese from 1956 - 1986 and the pair had one son and two daughters. In 1991, Gene married Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist, and they shared a home in Santa Fe, NM that was featured in Architectural Digest. Tragically, Gene and his wife Betsy died a shocking death, the pair were discovered dead in their homes by maintenance workers. After much investigation, it was found that Betsy died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory disease that's spread by rodents, on or around Februrary 12th. Authorities believe that Gene didn't seek help because he couldn't comprehend her death—he had Alzheimer's disease. Gene died around February 18 of sever heart disease. Their bodies weren't discovered until February 26th. Gene's legacy lives on in the film world. After his death, his was paid tribute by stars such as Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Close, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Barbara Streisand, Nthan Lane, Josh Brolin, John Cusack, Ben Stiller, and so many more people, all who recall Gene as an incredible actor and friend.Show more

David Mallow was born on October 19, 1948 and passed away on March 11, 2025. David went to Drake University and graduated with a BFA in Theater Arts in 1970. For 12 years, he was a successful radi...o personality in the Midwest and in NYC. In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in voice acting. Over the years, his voice was used in commercials, film dubbing, looping, narration, audio books, radio plays, and voice characterization in numerous video games, toys, and cartoons. You might recognize his voice as Baboo in Might Morphin Power Rangers, Angemon, Gekkomon, and Uppamon in Digimon: Digital Monsters, and Amarao in Digital Manga's FLCL, among others.Show more