Posted on 07/10/2007 3:25:15 PM PDT by Kieri
Cartoonist Doug Marlette Dies in Car Accident
By Dave Astor
Published: July 10, 2007 2:23 PM ET
NEW YORK Doug Marlette, who won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1988, died this morning in a single-car accident near Holly Springs in northwest Mississippi. He was 57.
Marlette was with the Tulsa (Okla.) World at the time of his death. Prior to joining that paper in 2006, he worked for the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat, Newsday of Melville, N.Y., The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer.
His editorial cartoons were syndicated by Tribune Media Services, which also distributed Marlette's "Kudzu" comic strip. And the North Carolina native was a novelist who wrote "The Bridge" and "Magic Time."
In a Web story about Marlette's death, The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss., reported that the cartoonist was a passenger in the vehicle. And a Tulsa World article quoted John Garrison, the coroner in Mississippi's Marshall County, as saying: "Evidently it hydroplaned, left the highway, and struck the tree. There was heavy rain in the area at the time."
According to the World, Marlette had been in Charlotte for the funeral of his father, Elmer Monroe Marlette, who was buried Friday. He was on his way to see friends in Oxford, Miss., at the time of the accident.
Robert E. Lorton III, publisher and president of the Oklahoma paper, said: '"This is a great tragedy, not only for the Tulsa World family, but for all who knew Doug."
Kathleen Parker, the Washington Post Writers Group (WPWG) columnist who knew Marlette, said when contacted by E&P: "I am speechless and breathless, absolutely spinning from this horrible, horrible news. I can't begin to tell you what a loss this is. To me and to all his friends, personally. But also to the great big world that will only know in his absence how much he delivered. He was a force of nature and an artist in every sense of the word."
Nick Anderson, the Houston Chronicle/WPWG creator and president-elect of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, said: "This is really shocking. He was only 57. It's a loss to the world of cartooning. He was a respected member of our profession. There will be a conspicuous absence on the pages of American newspapers. I'd like to extend my sympathies to his family."
Marlette is survived by his wife, Melinda, and his adult son, Jackson.
Tulsa World Web Editor Jason Collington told E&P that a slideshow of Marlette's cartoons has been posted on the paper's Web site .
Just wow.... prayers to the family.
Rest in peace, Mr. Marlette. We're going to miss you.
Rev. Will B. Dunn gave the best definition of “feedback” I ever heard.
He said that when he was a child, it was his job to get up at 4 every morning and feed the chickens. At about 10 in the morning he would get the feed back.
Loved it.
Or clean the chickenhouse.
When we move to the country after our last child finishes high school, I'm going to get some chickens - probably Buff Orpingtons if they can stand the Georgia heat, because I like the brown eggs and they're a dual purpose breed. But I have plans for a chicken house with a removable floor that can be yanked out, dumped, and hosed off . . . also a movable chicken pen on wheels that you simply move around the lawn and then water in the fertilizer . . . .
Sounds too much like work. I’ll just go to the store.
I really enjoyed Kudzu. He was a fine cartoonist.
Dizzy chickens might lay scrambled eggs.
The world NEEDS cartoonists.
He was relentless on Jesse Helms -- but Senator Helms didn't take it personally, and in fact wrote the foreword to one of Marlette's cartoon compilations.
I guess I skimmed too fast. What happened to the driver?
He was badly drawn and was finally erased.
Sad news this.
“According to the World, Marlette had been in Charlotte for the funeral of his father, Elmer Monroe Marlette, who was buried Friday.”
Fate is strange.
Wednesday bump for those who might not have seen the news of Doug’s death.
A fearless cartoonist and author. RIP, Doug.
Fellow cartoonist condolences.
You have to admit, Nixon's scandals, ski-slope nose and five o'clock shadow made him an irresistible target for ANY cartoonist.
It's pretty safe to say Marlette was a liberal, but he was willing to go after his own when he really believed they deserved it. (As some of the cartoons posted here illustrate.) And he wasn't as hateful as a lot of liberal satirists are these days. He had a lot more in common with Walt Kelly than he did with Ted Rall.
LOL! Loved his artistry and wit. So sorry to see him leave us like this.
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