Keith Parkinson died of complications from leukemia on October 26, four days after his 47th birthday. A service for friends and family will be held on November 1 near his home in southern California.
Keith was one of the greatest fantasy artists of our time. In the five years he spent at TSR, he created dozens of amazing covers for the company’s games, magazines, and calendars. As a freelancer, he painted even more award-winning covers for fantasy and science-fiction novels for the top publishers and writers. In 1995, he helped design the Guardians CCG for FPG. More recently, he painted the covers for the best-selling EverQuest computer games. In 2002, he co-founded Sigil Games Online and became the company’s art director.
We’ve lost one of the greats here. Keith’s work has influenced and amazed just about anyone who’s worked in our industry. His widow Donna has asked that any donations in Keith’s memory be made to the the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
I saw Keith at many conventions over the years, selling his artwork out of his own booth, but I never managed to find the time to stop by and say hi. Finally, at last year’s Gen Con So Cal, I ran into Mike Stackpole at Keith’s booth, and the three of us chatted about life and work for a good long while. I’m glad that I got to finally meet Keith and get to know him, even for just that too-short slice of time.
