Remembering Chris Browne, the cartoonist behind "Hägar the Horrible"

Shortly after celebrating 50 years of "Hägar the Horrible," a syndicated comic strip, Chris Browne, the renouned cartoonist of the strip, died after a long-term illness.

Browne, who made Sioux Falls his home, died earlier this month. Those close to Chris described him as a kind, caring and gentle soul.

Browne, 70, was the son of the series’ original creator, Dik Browne. When Dik retired in 1988 and died a year later, Chris continued the legacy of the syndicated comic strip. "Hägar the Horrible."

Here's a look at how "Hägar the Horrible," became one of the most well-known comic strips, and the legacy Chris leaves behind.

Happy Cartoonists Day from Chris Browne, Hagar artist

"Hagar the Horrible" was always a family project

While Dik started the comic strip in 1973, it was always a family project, Sally Browne, Chris' sister said. Dik would base the characters on the family members' personalities. Dik would take on the role of Hägar, the protagonist of the comic strip.

Chris was portrayed as Hamlet, Sally was portrayed as Honi, Dik was portrayed as Hägar and Chance was portrayed as Lute.

"That's how my father did it. He just based his characters based off people he knew. When he was getting fan mail, they would write my father and say, 'Oh, it looks like you're peeking into our family,'" Sally said. "... It just resonated with so many people."

Joan, Dik's wife, would do the accounting, while Sally would take care of the fan mail, she said. Chris would learn how to draw Hägar and write some gags. Their brother, Chance, would mostly work on 'Hi and Lois,' another comic strip illustrated by Dik.

"Hägar was always a family business when it started out," Sally said. "Not only basing the characters based on us as a family, my father really wanted us to be working together as a family."

And it still is a family business, Sally said.

Since Chris had to hang his pencil up because of medical issues, they had to hire a cartoonist and a writer. Currently, Chance does most of the management, while Sally does more of the accounting and marketing, she said. Her sister-in-law does most of the editing for the strip.

Moves to Sioux Falls following trip to National Cartoonists Society, Vikings Day parade

Ken Alvine, a member of the National Cartoonists Society, and Chris met each other through the society and award ceremonies around the country.

One year, Alvine invited Chris to Sioux Falls for a National Cartoonists Society North Central meeting. Chris, along with his wife, Carroll, accepted the invitation. When he arrived in Sioux Falls, Chris put on programs and was involved in Augustana's Vikings Day Parade.

That's how they fell in love with the city, friends and family said.

"He really loved Sioux Falls ... The way he would just talk about it and how nice the people were and he just had a real love for Sioux Falls," his sister said.

About two years after that visit, in 2006, Alvine said he received a call from Carroll letting him know the two were planning a move to Sioux Falls.

"I helped him find a home and spent some time with him, got him settled in,"Alvine said. "He really, really loved it here, so he decided to stay... He really became a part of the Sioux Falls community."

Chris lived in New Jersey, Connecticut Florida before calling South Dakota home.

Chris 'always had a sketchbook' in hand

Growing up, Chris always had a sketchbook and pencil in hand, his sister said. And, it wasn't just comic strips that Chris would work on.

He also worked on children's books, including ‘The Monster Who Ate the State,’ which followed a dinosaur that wakes up from a long sleep in the Black Hills. The hungry dinosaur explores South Dakota as she searches for a new home and tasty food to eat. Browne used a number of South Dakota-centric ideas, in that book including Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Sioux Falls and the Great Plains Zoo.

His sister said Chris would also go to local hospitals and draw for sick children, make birthday cards for people and he even judged a drawing contest for elementary students in Florida.

"He just had so much talent," Sally said. "He was a very kind soul, he was very outgoing as far as doing publicity and PR. But, at the same time, he was a very quiet person. He was never the type to brag about himself."

Over the years, Hägar appeared in nearly 2,000 newspapers worldwide and was translated into at least 13 languages in 56 countries. The character eventually appeared in a television special, a movie project and a video game.

Now, loved ones and fellow cartoonists are planning for a celebration of life for Chris on May 20. Alvine said the North Central chapter of the National Cartoonists Society is planning to have its annual chapter meeting in Sioux Falls on the same weekend of the celebration of life.

At that meeting, professional cartoonists of the organization will be in attendance to share their talents with the public.

"He was loved by everyone, and that's why we're going to have our celebration of life in Sioux Falls," Alvine said.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Hagar the Horrible comic artist Chris Browne died at 70 in Sioux Falls