Harvey Pekar, the Ohio comic book writer known for his “American Splendor” series and cantankerous appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman,” was found dead in his Cleveland Heights home Monday, WPMT-TV reported. Pekar was 70.
Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office spokesman Powell Caesar said Pekar’s wife Joyce Brabner found him shortly before 1:00am Monday. An autopsy is pending. Caesar said foul play is not suspected.
Pekar began writing the autobiographical comic series “American Splendor” in 1976, chronicling his life working as a file clerk at a veteran’s hospital, his relationship with his third wife Joyce, the Vietnam War experiences of an African-American co-worker and his 1994 battle with cancer over the series’ run.
Pekar, an admitted non-artist, recruited underground comics artists like Robert Crumb and Gilbert Hernandez to illustrate his stories.
Pekar became a favorite guest of talk show host David Letterman, appearing on “Late Night” several times in the late eighties until his regular on-air criticism of NBC parent company General Electric led to him being banned as a guest for several years.
“American Splendor” was adapted into a 2003 film starring Paul Giamatti as Pekar, which served as both an adaptation of several stories from the comic and a biography of Pekar.