The Daily Cartoonist

Industry news for the professional cartoonist

Chris Browne – RIP

D. D. Degg144 mins

Cartoonist Chris Browne has passed away.

Christopher Kelly (Chris) Browne

May 16, 1952 – February 4, 2023

Update from the obituary:

Chris Browne, illustrator of the internationally-syndicated comic strip Hagar the Horrible, died here on February 4, 2023, after a long illness. He was 70 years old. Christopher Kelly Browne was born in South Orange, NJ, on May 16, 1952.

He briefly attended Philadelphia College of Art, but he mainly studied with his father, the iconic cartoonist Dik Browne, working in the family business. Aside from assisting on illustrating the comics Hi and Lois and Hagar the Horrible, Chris worked for the National Lampoon magazine and was for years a featured cartoonist at Playboy magazine.

Chris’s sister announced the sad news through the National Cartoonists Society:

From Tsuiwen Browne-Boeras:

With much sadness, I am here to announce, my brother Christopher Browne passed away peacefully in Sioux Falls, SD after a long-term illness. After our father passed away, he was the face of our family’s cartoon strip Hagar the Horrible.

Chris is probably best known as the cartoonist for Hägar the Horrible. He was a part of the comic since it began in 1973, art assisting and writing gags for his father Dik Browne who created the strip. Since 1988, when Dik became to ill to work, Chris has been the main cartoonist for Hägar, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week.

Hägar the Horrible is © King Features Syndicate

Chris also assisted his father on the Hi and Lois comic strip from 1976 – 1988.

Being an assistant left time for Chris to contribute his own cartoons and comic strips to magazines and comix books and that is where I first became aware of his talents.

In The Funny Papers in 1975.

Around that time he also began contributing his Funny comic strip to National Lampoon.

Then in the late 1970s well into the 1980s Chris was a regular contributor to the Playboy Funnies pages creating an assortment of strips and characters. (Chris wasn’t as lewd as most of the others in the Playboy Funnies.)

© Playboy

Through the years he found time to contribute to Heavy Metal, Esquire, Sarasota Magazine, The New Yorker, Dope Comix, and others. And even a children’s book.

In the 1990s and 2000s he concentrated on newspaper comics strips, not exclusively on Hägar.

Chris Browne’s Comic Strip ran daily in 1993 and 1994.

Raising Duncan ran from 2000 to 2005, and even had an NEA Christmas edition in 2002.

Chris stretched his talents in his sketchbook and paintings.

We send our deepest condolences to Chris’s family and friends.

photo from The Sarasota Herald-Tribune; unless noted all other images © Chris Browne

14 thoughts on “Chris Browne – RIP”

  1. Chris was a valued member of our NCS N. Central chapter. I’ve never met a sweeter, more generous human being, and a wonderful talent, to boot.
    Years ago our NCS chapter was having our annual gathering in Sioux Falls and we invited Chris to come as our guest artist. He and Carroll arrived and promptly fell in love with Sioux Falls. They were riding on a float in the annual Sioux Falls Viking Days parade (Chris dressed as Hagar and Carroll as Helga). According to Chris, Carroll suddenly said “This is it!”. When Chris asked her what she meant, she said, “This is it. This is where we’re going to move”. My cartoonist buddy Ken Alvine, a longtime SF resident, was instrumental in helping them get settled and was Chris’ contact with the outside world as his health declined. Ken says that Chris loved our regional chapter even more than he loved belonging to the NCS. We are really going to miss him.

  4. Knew Christopher my entire adult life, from about the age of 19. As gentle a soul as you’d ever meet !. I’ll always remember you with love my dear friend!

  5. I enjoyed talking to Chris at the Reubens few years back. He was gracious in answering my questions. I enjoyed “Raising Duncan” when it was running in the early 2000s.

    RIP.

  6. An icon of the world of comics has passed away. The funny papers will never be the same. Chris Browne you are missed already. Thank you for all you gave the world. With much love, A fan.

  7. RIP Chris. Leora and I remember you so fondly from Wilton High School. You were so gentle and so creative. You are missed. Ros and Leora

  8. I am so very very sorry to learn of Chris’ passing. I have been a faithful reader of the Raising Duncan comics online for many years and of Hagar the Horrible when I was a kid. May God bless his soul!!! Eileen Velez

  9. Sad to hear of Chris’ passing, through Hagar and Helga he has brought laughter and a lightening of mood on many days across the years and particularly the last few here in far off Australia. Chris, May ye rest in peace.

  10. That’s sad to read about. My condolences to his family. I hope somebody takes over and continues Hagar. We need more laughs in the world, not less. RIP Chris.

  11. I will miss my friend Chris. He was near and dear to every member of our family. Chris was one of the kindest people I knew. I will miss our long conversations and all our laughs. Rest in Peace dear friend. I hope to see you again one day.

  12. Is Hagar the Horrible comic strip going to end or is a third artist going to take over?
    Since Chris Browne passed away are they going to end Hagar the Horrible? I hardly hear or see people talking about it online. I used to have it in my Utah newspaper but I no longer see it in the newspaper anymore. Let me know what the fate of Hagar the Horrible comic strip is going to be. I personally think it needs to be done since both Hagar the Horrible comic strip creators are now dead. I personally don’t really want a third artist to take over Hagar the Horrible, but I can’t make that call since I’m just a reader.

    1. It is my understanding that Gary Hallgren has been drawing the Hägar the Horrible strip for some years now. With a client list of over 1000 I would think it will continue, with Gary or another cartoonist.

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