American artist Frank Frazetta died on May 10, 2010. Mr. Frazetta was suffering from complications following a stroke. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928, by the age of sixteen Frank was drawing professionally for comic books. He eventually worked on some of the best known comics of the era including Li'l Abner, Flash Gorden, and Buck Rogers. Movie posters and Album covers also became home to Frazetta's art, but his greatest fame comes from reinventing the genre of fantasy art on the covers of paperback reissues of the Conan The Barbarian series.http://www.frankfrazetta.net/Bio.htmlhttp://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/fantasy/Frank-Frazetta.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/arts/artsspecial/11frazetta.html

After working for years in the comic strip and comic book business, Frank got a call from someone at Universal Studios. Apparently someone connected with the studio liked what they saw in a Frazetta illustration for Mad magazine. Frank created a movie poster for Woody Allen's 1965 movie What's Up Pussycat, and another avenue for Frazetta's art opened up. Other Frazetta movie posters include "The Fearless Vampire Killers" (1967) and "The Gauntlet" (1977).http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/12/AR2010051204875.html

The turning point in Farzetta's career, marking the beginning of his widespread notoriety, came with the cover art for the Conan the Barbarian paperback reissued series. The popularity of a whole new style of fantasy artwork was born, and Frazetta remained at its center. Frank was able to negotiate the unusual right to retain to his artwork, which proved to be very prudent. The original painting for the cover of Conan the Conqueror was sold in 2009 to Kirk Hammet, lead guitarist of Metallica, for $1 million dollars.http://www.frankfrazetta.net/Bio.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/arts/artsspecial/11frazetta.html

Beginning in 1972 when the rock group Dust used Snow Giants on their Hard Attack album, Frazetta's fantasty paintings showed up sporadically on a handful of 1970's albums by bands including Molly Hatchet and Nazareth. Wolfmother, an Australian band seemingly rediscovered the compatibility of rock music and fantasy artwork when they used Frazetta's The Sea Witch on their 2005 self titled album and additional paintings on each of its three singles.http://www.frankfrazetta.net/Bio.html

Just two months after his death in May of 2010, a 1971 painting by Frank Frazetta Conan the Destroyer sold for $1.5 million dollars. Originally painted by Frazetta as cover art for a paperback book, the sale marks a new high for transactions involving Frazetta's fantasy art.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jPIQRUpq-PquX8xzmXaFd3hogDQwD9H47Q2O0

It has not been reported whether this is one of the ninety paintings that Frank Frazetta Jr tried to steal from the artist's museum in December of 2009. Frank Jr was caught using a backhoe to break in after disputes with siblings over the estate, disputes which have reportedly been subsequently put to rest.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/arts/artsspecial/11frazetta.html