In a year full of deaths noteworthy to fans of video gaming, one more name has been added to the list.

Don Ivan Punchatz, who was responsible for creating the iconic image which served as the packshot art for iD Software's original Doom, passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 73. The attack in question occurred on October 11th, and it was one from which he would not regain consciousness. Two weeks of treatment and tests later, and doctors informed Punchatz's family that there was no hope for recovery, leading to his removal from life support.

"He never wanted to be kept alive like this," said Don's son, Greg, "so we are respecting his wishes."

An amusing anecdote reveals that Punchatz reduced his fee for the Doom box art to help iD meet its budget, and when offered a percentage of the game's profits, Punchatz chose to stick with his fee. "So how was I to know this thing called Doom would make a jillion smackers?" he would later laugh.

For a look at the man and more of his works, be sure to check out the article on Spectrum Fantastic Art.