Artist Jeffrey Catherine Jones -an acclaimed voice in the fantasy art world and a close friend and influence to a generation of comics artists - has passed away at age 67. The news became public through a Tweet from Maria Cabardo, a documentary filmmaker working on a film about Jones' life (found via Tom Spurgeon).

Born Jeffrey Jones 1944, the artist celebrated a long career whose highlights included a 1970s run doing cover paintings for major fantasy novels like Fritz Leiber's "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser" and a number of comics including "Idyl" for "National Lampoons" and "I'm Age" for "Heavy Metal."

While the world of fantasy illustration and comics proper intersect less than one might imagine, Jones was a figure whose work in both forms left an impression on her peers. Her work was notably praised by recently deceased fantasy legend Frank Frazetta as "the greatest living painter." Jones also shared space with a slew of legendary comics talent in the '70s under the name The Studio -a group which included Mike Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson and Barry Windsor-Smith.

Jones is also a rare example of a transgendered artist in the genre world. Though a string of personal and financial issues saw her fall on hard times in the early 2000s, recent years had seen stable living conditions and steady production of new work from the artist.

For more on Jones' life and work, visit her official website.

A comics page by Jones and Bernie Wrightson.