Cartoonist Alcala dies at 75

Prolific Filipino cartoonist Larry Alcala died of heart failure on Monday night at the Riverside Medical Centre, Bacolod City, central Philippines. He was 75.

He created 500 characters, 20 comic strips, six movies, two murals, and 16,000 published pages in 50 years of cartooning. He was well-known for his 'Slice of Life' cartoons published by the Philippines Star magazine, and for cartoon characters such as Asyong Aksaya, the profligate Asyong in time of hardship, Kalabog en Bosyo, tall and fat bungling detectives, and Siopawman, a mentally challenged super hero.

He was a former professor at the College of Fine Arts of the premiere University of the Philippines.

His remains will lie in state at the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapel in the Visayas.