Famed illustrator Don Ivan Punchatz died October 22 of cardiac arrest. He was an acknowledged influence on the sf art field who did some of the most iconic sf book covers of his generation, as the New York Times noted:

Mr. Punchatz was a skilled hyperrealist with a penchant for the fantastic and absurd. His cover art for works like Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” trilogy and Harlan Ellison’s “Dangerous Visions” anthology was a striking blend of romantic metaphor and supernatural fantasy – what one colleague called “elegantly weird.” He worked for the paperback publishers Ace, Dell, Avon, Warner and New American Library.”

[Thanks to Gary Farber for the story.]