News hit the comics internet today that, sadly, Brazilian artist Al Rio -a fixture of Good Girl and erotic art since the 1990s -had taken his own life by hanging.

Word first circulated online through the Portuguese speaking comics community and was confirmed by Bleeding Cool where Rio's longtime friend and agent David Campiti wrote "Few could draw as well, adapting to so many styles so effortlessly, as Al Rio...He was a long-time friend whose art was a great joy to me and even inspired my wife's drawing career. Generous and humble, he'll be deeply missed."

Rio came up in comics in the boom years of the 1990s where his slick style made him a good match for the Image Comics revolution in the direct market. Many fans remember his work on WildStorm's "Gen13" where in taking over interior art duties for co-creator J. Scott Campell, the artist not only left a very strong impression with his Good Girl inspired illustrations but also helped prove that readers would stick around on creator-owned powerhouses once the original artists had moved on to other projects. In the years following, Rio made him mark on many of the pinup girl heroines in the comics market including Vampirella, Lady Death, Purgatory, Shi, Avengelyne and Voodoo. He also worked on many mainstream superhero projects for both Marvel and DC. In recent years, Rio had found a regular home at Avatar where he published "Exposed" -a collection of his personal erotic art -as well as Zenescope where he became a fixture of their popular "Grimm Fairy Tale" comics.

Rio is survived by his wife and three children. Our hearts go out to his family.