Comic-book writer Harvey Pekar, whose “American Splendor” was made into a 2003 film starring Paul Giamatti, has been found dead in his Ohio home.
Pekar, 70, was found dead shortly before 1 a.m. today by his wife, Joyce Brabner, in their Cleveland Heights home, said Powell Caesar, spokesman for Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner, wrote “Our Cancer Year,” a book-length comic, after Pekar was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1990 and underwent a grueling treatment.
Cleveland Heights police Capt. Michael Cannon says says Pekar had been suffering from prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure and depression.
Pekar’s “American Splendor” comics, which he began publishing in 1976, chronicle his grousing about work, money and the monotony of life.