The following announcement was placed on the opening page of Unclekage.com immediately after the news reached me:

Dan DeCarlo, creator of such beloved characters as Josie and the Pussycats and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as the originator of the familiar appearance of Archie Comics, passed away on the morning of December 19, 2001.

Dan was guest of honor at Anthrocon 2001, just 5 months prior to his passing, where he enjoyed the support of hundreds of fans in his fight against Archie Comics. The company made millions off of Dan's creations, but Dan never saw any of it. When he suggested that he might be due some compensation when Josie was made into a movie, he was summarily dismissed from Archie Comics. Dan told his story to many aspiring artists and writers at the convention and left them with a priceless lesson in how to avoid the same trap into which he had been pushed.

He was a warm and friendly fellow with a quiet wit that won the hearts of Anthrocon members. Our prayers go out to his family and in particular to his wife Josie, the lady in the photograph above who served as the model and namesake of Dan's most beloved creation.

Josie sent word to me two days later that Dan was to be buried on December 22, the very next day. She asked if I would kindly attend the funeral. Such a dear lady she is, I would have died myself before I told her no. I collected Susan Parkin, Anthrocon's Director of Programming who had also gotten to know the DeCarlos, and early the next morning we set out for Scarsdale, New York.

The trip, the funeral, and even the reception afterward turned into an adventure with all the hallmarks of an Uncle Kage story. I'll tell it to you too, sometime, but right now it is just a little too soon. Maybe in a few more months.