Acclaimed visual artist and Guinness World Record-holder Kim Jung Gi passes away due to a heart attack at the age of 47.
Acclaimed artist Kim Jung Gi passed away on Oct. 4 at the age of 47.
According to the creator's official social media, Jung Gi was on his way to New York Comic-Con, flying from Paris, France, when he began to experience severe chest pains. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital and undergoing surgery, he was later pronounced dead. "After having done so much for us, you can now put down your brushes. Thank you, Jung Gi," reads the official announcement. Fans of Jung Gi's artwork can send notes or drawings of appreciation to his family via email.
— Kim Jung Gi US (@KimJungGiUS) October 5, 2022
Jung Gi is largely known for his sweeping, highly-precise pieces that include strikingly detailed environments, landscapes, and characters. He published six original sketchbooks that include some of his most respected work; the first debuted in 2007 while the final was released in 2017. Jung Gi also contributed to several popular graphic novels and comic books, including Tiger the Long Tail, Paradis, Third Humanity, and SpyGames. He also collaborated with Marvel and DC Comics on several occasions. Jung Gi is also widely recognized for his videos chronicling the creation of his lengthy, intricate friezes, one of which earned him the Guinness World Record for "longest drawing by an individual."
"Kim’s most notable creative asset is his memory, something he has developed over many years," reads the artist's official website. "His ability to render extremely complicated scenes near-perfectly from memory, without the aid of references, has stretched the boundaries of what many artists believed was possible."
Born in 1975 in South Korea, obtained a Master of Art and Design at the Dong-Eui University of Busan.