Famed Aussie cartoonist Michael Leunig dies
Acclaimed Australian cartoonist and writer Michael Leunig has died at the age of 79.
His family confirmed the news on Instagram, sharing that he spent his last moments on Thursday, “surrounded by his children, loved ones, and sunflowers”.
“The pen has run dry, its ink no longer flowing — yet Mr. Curly and his ducks will remain etched in our hearts, cherished and eternal,” a post on his official Instagram account said.
“Michael Leunig passed away peacefully today, in the early hours of December 19, 2024."
“During his final days, he was surrounded by his children, loved ones, and sunflowers — accompanied as ever, by his dear old friends, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.”
Throughout his stellar career, his artwork featured in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, before he was controversially stood down from The Age in September after 55 years with the publication after some of his cartoons were thought to be too politically sensitive.
Cartoonist for The Australian newspaper John Spooner told ABC Radio Melbourne the loss of Leunig felt "pretty huge", adding that working alongside Leunig at The Age in the mid 80s was "a riot of fun".
"Leunig was a leader in the sense that he was an experimenter in graphic possibilities in newspapers, you know, like a half page full colour political or social cartoon," Spooner said.
"A lot of the people who love The Age don't realise the depth of his contribution to the idea of The Age, which was essentially pluralistic, in other words, both sides of an argument got a run."
Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight also paid tribute to Leunig, saying, “It is a great loss, he was referred to as a national treasure and he was.”
“As a kid I would buy his books – the famous Penguin Leunig was my great introduction to cartoons. I owe him a debt of gratitude. He had controversies with his cartoons, but I think he is bigger and more profound than cancel culture.”
Image credits: Instagram