‘Old Master Q’ comic creator Alfonso Wong passes away—reports

Dennis Wong’s comic ‘Old Master Q’. Screen grab from oldmasterq.com

The year 2016 has been unforgiving when it comes to celebrities’ mortality rates, and it looks like the new year has already claimed its first prominent casualty.

Beloved Hong Kong comic creator Alfonso Wong Kar Hei, professionally known as Alfonso Wong, has passed away on the first day of 2017, Apple Daily reported.

The Tianjin-born artist is the man behind the popular comic series  “Old Master Q” or ”Lao Fu Zi” in Chinese.

According to a statement by OMQ ZMedia, the company that promotes and markets the Old Master Q comics, the 93-year-old comic legend  died from natural causes while inside his home in California.

His iconic strips first came to newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong in 1962, with Wong opting to use his son’s name as a nom de plume (pen name) to cater to a bigger audience.

Wong, who first moved to Hong Kong in 1956, described his earlier works in a separate report from NetEase.

“My life is like comic strips, and I do my best to make Old Master Q, that is myself, to play the fool and entertain readers,” Wong said.

Although not as popular outside Hong Kong, “Old Master Q” was a big hit among the locals and was passed on to several generations of readers.

The hilarious comic featured the titular character Old Master Q, a mischievous, elderly and bespectacled man clad in traditional Chinese attire. The strip also featured minor, yet lovable characters such as Big Potato, Mr. Chin and Miss Chan.

Wong is best remembered by his loved ones as an extremely talented artist who was fond of drawing fish and was capable of drawing using either hand.

The comic book pioneer left behind six sons, all of whom have inherited his artistic talent. Khristian Ibarrola