PARIS, March 10 — French comic-book artist and designer Jean Giraud, known as Moebius, died today aged 74 after a long illness, an associate and work colleague said.

Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (picture) was one of France’s leading cartoonists who also found fame in Japan and the United States.

Born at Nogent-sur-Marne east of Paris on May 8, 1938, he began after art school training as an illustrator for advertisers and the fashion industry before turning to comic strips.

He found fame when he created the Lieutenant Blueberry western character and adopted the pseudonym Moebius for illustrations of science fiction books and magazines.

As well as being published in top French magazines, he worked with Japanese manga artists and co-produced an adventure of US comic-book superhero The Silver Surfer with Stan Lee.

Giraud also contributed to a number of blockbuster movies, and in 2010 France’s Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art staged a major retrospective of his work. — AFP/Relaxnews