Renowned fantasy and comic-book artist Frank Frazetta passed away today as the result of a stroke. He was 82.

Heidi MacDonald has confirmation from his agent Robert Pistella that Frazetta died in a hospital near his home in Boca Grande, Florida.

Born on February 9, 1928, in Brooklyn, Frazetta began illustrating comic books at age 16, later working on titles like Barnyard Comics, Thrilling Comics and Happy Comics for Standard Publishing Co. By the early 1950s, he was drawing the Shining Knight stories for DC's Adventure Comics, New Heroic Comics for Eastern Color and Durango Kid for Magazine Enterprises. In 1953, he started working as an assistant for Al Capp on Li'l Abner.

Frazetta left Capp in 1961 and started illustrating for men's magazines, eventually teaming with Harvey Kurtzman on the bawdy "Little Annie Fanny" strip that appeared in Playboy. It was during this period that Frazetta began painting movie posters, and covers for paperback editions of action-adventure and Warren magazines like Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. Frazetta's work from the mid-1960s to the early '70s became the primary influence for science fiction and fantasy art for decades.

Frazetta's work and legacy were at the center of a bitter family feud that seemed to erupt in July 2009 after the death of his wife Eleanor "Ellie" Frazetta, who had long run her husband's business. The dispute played out in public, with criminal charges, a lawsuit and angry allegations. Luckily, though, the family seemed to resolve its differences just last month.

Frazetta is survived by four children: Alfonso Frank Frazetta (Frank Jr.), William Frazetta, Holly Frazetta and Heidi Grabin.