Michigan and Chicago cartoonist Cliff Wirth has passed away.
Clifton Robert (Cliff) Wirth
1927 – May 8, 2018
Cliff Wirth began his career as a newspaper cartoonist and artist in 1950 at The Detroit News, later he would move to The Chicago Sun-Times. He would also contribute gag cartoons to magazines.
When someone at school asked Cliff Wirth’s kids what their dad did for a living, one of them answered: “Dad doesn’t do anything — he stays in the basement and draws funny pictures.”
Not understanding that Mr. Wirth actually made his living doing what he called “slinging ink,” a school employee felt terrible for the family.
“They brought a food basket by,” said Cathy Snell, one of the Wirth kids.
During the 1970s Cliff created a couple syndicated panels for newspapers:
“Home Team” (NEA/McNaught) and “Li’l Sports” (McNaught).
Also in the 1970s he self-syndicated “L.P. and U.P.” (for lower peninsula and upper penisula), to Michigan papers as a local comic.
In 1964 he was contributing “Local Laffs with Cliff Wirth” to the Detroit Free Press.