Legendary comic artist George Pérez has been diagnosed with terminal Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer, as disclosed in a post on his public Facebook page.
"On November 29th I received confirmation that, after undergoing surgery for a blockage in my liver, I have Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer," reads Pérez's statement. "It is surgically inoperable and my estimated life expectancy is between 6 months to a year."
Pérez goes on to state that he plans to spend his remaining time with friends and family, and is hoping to organize a final signing event for his numerous fans.
Pérez got his start in the industry in the early '70s at Marvel Comics, penciling back up stories in titles such as Astonishing Tales and Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu, in which he co-created Puerto Rican superhero White Tiger alongside writer Bill Mantlo, to celebrate his own heritage.
He quickly moved on to become the regular artist of Avengers for over 20 issues, co-creating the Taskmaster and drawing part of the 'Korvac Saga' story, one of Pérez's first major storylines.