Family and friends had asked for prayers for the health of the famous cartoonist who had been hospitalized since last Wednesday in the intensive care unit.
Edwin Aguilar, the Salvadoran cartoonist who drew The Simpsons for more than 20 years, died this Saturday from a cerebral thrombosis, family and friends have confirmed.
According to sources close to the artist, Edwin had been hospitalized in Los Angeles in the intensive care unit for a few days after suffering “a spill.” Through social media his relatives asked for prayers for his speedy recovery.
For more than two decades, this talented Salvadoran was in charge of drawing the characters of Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie, from the Simpsons series, a production in which he worked as an assistant director.
Edwin is originally from St. Michael. In the 1980s he emigrated to the United States where he resided from the age of nine. Photo EDH / Archive
Edwin Aguilar was originally from the canton of El Carao, in the department of Sant Miquel, in the east of the country. He was born in 1974. At the age of 9 he emigrated to the United States with his brother where he would reunite with his family based in Los Angeles.
In an interview with El Diario de Avui, Edwin commented that he left El Salvador not to be recruited by the guerrillas or the Armed Forces during the armed conflict.
Read also: The story of Edwin Aguilar, the Salvadoran who has drawn in “The Simpsons” for 20 years
Far from the Savior, his life changed. Thanks to a scholarship to study illustration at the “Art Center of Design” in Pasadena, California, and animation at the “Bridges Visual Institute” in Santa Monica.
He started animating for “Graz Entertainment” when they produced “Transformers” and “GI-Joe”, then for Hanna-Barbera created episodes with “Pebbles” and “Bam-Bam”, then looked for work with Chuck Jones, creator of shorts of cartoons like “Merrie Melodies” and cartoon characters like “Looney Tunes” for Warner Brothers.
Photo EDH / Archive
In 1989, when Fox aired the Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, the Salvadoran underwent a pencil examination of the characters and passed it, it was here that he signed a contract to become the designer of the animated characters of the yellow family.
Following the news of his death, numerous messages of condolence and memories of his life with friends, family and people who knew him have monopolized social media.
Over the years, Edwin has always maintained a close bond with El Salvador, where he returned regularly and took the opportunity to share his knowledge in design and anime with children in various communities.
No further details about the funeral have yet been given.