Steve Gerber, the creator of Howard the Duck, Omega the Unknown and Hard Time in comic books and Thundarr the Barbarian in cartoons, passed away at the age of 60. He had publically written about his battle with fibrosis of the lungs. His friend, writer Mark Evanier, posted the sad news on Gerber’s blog.

Among his many credits in the comic book field were stints on The Defenders, Man-Thing, and most recently Dr. Fate, while his cartoon work included Dungeons and Dragons, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. He was also one of the creators of Malibu’s Ultraverse line.

“Steve was one of the finest writers of a generation, and a paradoxical, gentle warrior who labored heavily under the burdens of battles for principle, for others, and all too often, for existence,” Paul Levitz, President and Publisher of DC Comics posted on Gerber's blog. “Besides his signed work, even unsigned pieces as simple as letter columns were models of the art for the rest of us. He enlisted us in his crusades because of his decency, passion, and willingness to take the first bullet in the charge.”