Walter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for run as writer/artist on Marvel Comics' Thor from 1983 - 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for his creator-owned work, Star Slammers, which he first published as his Rhode Island School of Design thesis project. He has also worked on other Marvel titles such as X-Factor and Fantastic Four, on DC Comics books including Detective Comics, Manhunter, Metal Men and Orion, and on licensed properties such as Star Wars, Alien, Battlestar Galactica and Robocop vs. Terminator. Simonson has won numerous awards for his work, and has influenced artists such as Arthur Adams and Bryan Hitch. He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated on X-Factor from 1988 to 1989, and with whom he made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Thor feature film. [More at Wikipedia]

September 2nd, 1946 in Knoxville (Age 77)