Cartoonist Hank Ketcham Dead At 81
Cartoonist Hank Ketcham, who sketched the "Dennis the Menace" comic strip, died in his sleep early Friday morning. He was 81.
Ketcham had suffered from heart disease and cancer, said his publicist, Linda Dozoretz.
"He passed away very peacefully. He had had some bad spells and he slipped away in his sleep," said Ellen James, a neighbor and family friend.
Ketcham's panels celebrated 50 years of publication in March — running in 1,000 newspapers, 48 countries and 19 languages.
He said the drawings' simplicity, coupled with the innocence and mischievous shenanigans of the forever "five-ana-half" Dennis, were the secret to the strip's longevity.
"I look back at some of my old stuff and I laugh. I just burst out because I forgot about it, and it surprises me again," Ketcham told The Associated Press in March in an interview at his home studio. "So it's a joyful pursuit realizing that you're trying to ease the pain of front-page news or television. There's some little bright spot in your day that reminds you that it's fun to smile."
A Seattle native, Ketcham dropped out the University of Washington in 1938 after his freshman year to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a cartoonist.
He got his first job as an animator for Walter Lantz, the creator of "Woody Woodpecker," and then for Walt Disney, working on "Pinocchio," "Bambi," "Fantasia" and others.
He was pulled away to Washington D.C. by the Navy during World War II where he drew cartoons for military posters, training material and war bond sales. He then moved to Carmel as a freelance cartoonist.
It was there in October 1950 that Ketcham found inspiration after his first wife, Alice, burst into his studio exasperated after their 4-year-old son, Dennis, destroyed his bedroom instead of napping.
"Your son is a menace!" she screamed.
Just five months later on March 12, 1951, "Dennis the Menace" was born in 16 newspapers.
Ketcham is survived by his wife, Rolande; his daughter, Dania Ketcham and his two sons, Scott and Dennis Ketcham.
© MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed