] LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Kelly Freas, an
] influential illustrator who produced sleek, stirring
] images for science fiction and fantasy books and helped
] shape the image of Mad magazine mascot Alfred E. Newman,
] has died. He was 82.
 . . .
] In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Freas
] illustrated the covers or the pages of books by writers
] including Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C.
] Clarke, A.E. Van Vogt, Poul Anderson and Frederik Pohl.

I met Freas a few years ago, at one of the conventions where I was speaking, and put him in touch with the staff at Dragon*Con so he could be invited to be a guest of honor there as well (I think in 2001).

He was an amazing talent. When I was a kid and reading back issues of Analog and Astounding magazine, it was one of his drawings that made me finally ask myself, "Wow, that's an amazing picture, I wonder who drew that?" Then once I knew his name and went looking, I found that he'd created many of the other book and magazine covers that I loved.

It was an honor to meet him, and I am very sorry to hear of his passing.

More information about him can be found here, at the Dragon*Con bio site: http://dragoncon.org/people/freasf.html

And a page with some samples of his art can be found here: http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/freas.htm