Carlos Pacheco Has Died, Aged 60, Mayor Announces Official Mourning

Carlos Pacheco, the Spanish comic book creator best known in the US for comic books such as Avengers Forever, X-Men, Superman, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern and his creator-owned series with Kurt Busiek, Arrowsmith, with a long career spanning over thirty years, has died. In June this year, Kurt Busiek revealed that Arrowsmith: Beyond Borders would be delayed due to health issues suffered by both men. And that Pacheco had suffered paralysis in his right leg and that he was recovering from spinal surgery. However, earlier this month,  Pacheco revealed he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis instead, which had caused the paralysis. ALS  leads to a progressive loss of motor neurons, eventually paralysis and comes with a greatly reduced lifespan. Today, it was announced that he has died  – initially prematurely as he was sedated ahead of possible organ donation, but the sad news has now been confirmed by his family. He died two hours ago, at around 7.30pm CET, a few days before what would have been his 61st birthday.

The Mayor of his home town San Roque, Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, has declared a period of official mourning for the death of Carlos Pacheco. And that during the two days of official mourning, the flags at City Hall will fly at half-mast. A funeral chapel will be installed in the Palacio de los Gobernadores, with the agreement of Carlos Pacheco’s family.

The mayor stated that Carlos Pacheco was a hero for donating his organs adding, “all of us who have known him will miss him, and he would like to offer condolences to his family and friends. I am sure that the rest of the Corporation and the people of San Roque will share my words, as well as the fact that two days of official mourning have been decreed. Likewise, a burning chapel is going to be set up in the Palace of the Governors so that all the people who wish to can pay homage to him…  Our sadness is only a little less, knowing that in life he achieved the recognition of his community. A recognition that he knew and appreciated, and was grateful that the City Council put up an avenue in his name, that he was named the town’s Favourite Son and that, in his honour, there is a contest named after him.”

Here are some other notices from comic book creators.

Emanuela Lupacchino: It’s heartbreaking for me to know that artist and friend Carlos Pacheco is no longer woth us. Carlos has been such a talent and his art was a huge ispiration for me, as it surely was for an entire generation. he was a lovely person. And life it won’t be the same without him around. Rest in peace my dear friend.

Valerio Schiti: Carlos Pacheco was one of the greatest inspirations for the artists of my generation, his death is a terrible loss for his loved ones, for the comics community and for the art in general. It’s just unfair.

Kieron Gillen: A shock to hear about Carlos Pacheco’s passing. I never actually met, but working with him on Uncanny X-men was an absolute joy. He brought so much to every single page. Lost far too soon, and a huge loss.

JH Williams III: Saddened by the loss of another great comics talent, Carlos Pacheco. I never got to meet him, but adored his work ever since I first saw it. Love to his family and friends.

Joe Glass: Okay, seems to be confirmed: we lost another towering talent of comics. Carlos Pacheco has passed He drew the X-Men at a very formative time of my life and when I was at the peak of my love for them. His artistic skill was immeasurable What a loss for us all RIP

Will Sliney: The first time I ever got to visit a comic book publisher was DC comics many years ago. There I was shown the gold standard of what a comic book page was. It was an original page by Carlos Pacheco. I still regularly think of and I’m inspired by that lone page.

Lewis LaRosa: Carlos Pacheco became one of my very favorites as soon as I saw it in Starjammers. I couldn’t get over his organic shape language, I never will. Even better was finding out how incredibly kind one of my art heroes was. Wish I’d thanked him again for his incredible work. RIP

Tim Townsend: I am so incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of my friend, comic book legend, Carlos Pacheco. I can honestly say without a shred of exaggeration that Carlos was one of kindest, most genuinely decent people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing in all my years in this business. His art speaks for itself and I am honored to have been able to partner with him a few times over the years. SO much fun! But mostly I’m just going to miss my friend. Rest in power, brother.

Jim Cheung: Carlos Pacheco (1961-2022) – So sad to learn of the abrupt passing of yet another legend and favorite of mine, Carlos Pacheco. I first became familiar with his work when I started at Marvel UK, where I encountered his art on Dark Guard. The energy and creativity in those pages was clearly evident to my young eyes at the time, and it was fantastic to follow his subsequent journey with Marvel US and DC. His incredible artwork was ever filled with power, and his graceful figures had the ability to dance and pulse through the page, with a presence that was impossible to imitate. His work was always on another level, so thank you, Carlos, for being an inspiration. You set a lofty standard we can only ever strive for! You will be missed! Rest in peace!

J Scott Campbell: Incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of yet another talented creative spirit in our small but vibrant industry, Carlos Pacheco. While I didn’t know Carlos very well personally, we shared many friends and even briefly shared a comics label at Cliffhanger/DC. Besides sharing such a dynamic and fun energy with everything he drew, I’ve only heard the most positive and genuine stories about him as a person. Truly a sad loss.
It’s been a particularly hard year for the comics and illustration community this year with the passing of legend Kevin O’Neill only a day ago, the shocking sudden loss of Kim Jung Gi just last month, as well as a friend Tim Sale and legends Neal Adams & George Perez earlier in the year. Here’s hoping we don’t lose any more for a while. And my apologies in advance if there’s anyone I’m forgetting.

Erik Larsen: Sorry to hear about the passing of Carlos Pacheco, an amazing talent and terrific guy. 2022 has been a devastating year for the comic book community.

Cully Hamner: Carlos Pacheco… what an amazing, brilliant, fully-realized creature of comic art he was, and also what a gent. Only met him a few times over the years, but he was always very kind. You left a mark, sir, and you’ll be missed. RIP.

Tony Daniel: RIP to my dear friend #CarlosPacheco – friends for over 20 years. He was kind, generous, and loved his son. Love you brother and thank you for what you did for me. And I promise I’ll let you pay the next check at dinner when I see you again. Someplace nice.

Marvel Comics: We mourn the loss of a dear part of the Marvel family, comic artist & writer Carlos Pacheco. His legacy of iconic designs and storytelling like Avengers Forever, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Excalibur, Captain America, and more will be remembered. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.