BC cartoonist dies while drawing

Cartoonist Johnny Hart, who won awards and acclaim for creating the BC comic strip, has died at the age of 76.

BC, which depicts a world populated by cavemen and dinosaurs, first appeared in 1958 and eventually reached more than 100 million people.

Mr Hart also co-created The Wizard of Id, the story of a run-down kingdom ruled by a tyrannical monarch.

Mr Hart's wife, Bobby, said he died of a stroke on Saturday while working at his New York home.

"He died at his storyboard," she told the Associated Press.

Richard Newcombe, the founder and president of Creators Syndicate, which syndicates both BC and The Wizard of Id, said both cartoons would continue.

Family members have been helping produce the strips for years, and they have an extensive computer archive of drawings to work with, he told AP.

Mr Hart won numerous awards for his work, including the National Cartoonist Society's prestigious Reuben Award twice for Cartoonist of the Year.

In his later year, Mr Hart's Christianity began to play a more prominent role in his cartoons, courting some controversy.