Prominent Turkish cartoonist dies at 61

ISTANBUL

Latif Demirci, a prominent Turkish caricaturist who was known as the “father of many well-known cartoon characters,” has died at the age of 61 in Istanbul.

“We lost my dear friend this morning [June 5]. I am in deep agony,” columnist İhsan Yılmaz said in a tweet announcing the death of the cartoonist.

According to local reports, Demirci fell down harshly on the floor of his house early on June 4 and was hospitalized immediately.

He could not be saved despite all the efforts and lost his life at 6 a.m. on June 5, doctors informed.

Demirci had undergone a heart operation recently.

Born in Istanbul in 1961, Demirci was known for the characters he created, such as “Mr. Press and Mrs. Media,” “Mr. Muhlis” and “Arab Kadri.”

His first caricature was published in the Gırgır magazine in 1975, when he was only 14 years old. After working for “Fırt” magazine, he found “Hıbır,” another famous magazine in the country, in 1989 with some other caricaturists.

Demirci, who had been drawing caricaturists for the first page of daily Hürriyet for years, was the author and the artist of 10 comic books.