Andrew Porter provides this photo of Bill Kunkel (left foreground) with Dan Steffan (right) and Frank Lunney (in rear) at the 1970 Lunacon.
Arnie & Joyce Katz write:
Bill Kunkel
(July 21, 1950-September 4, 2011)
It is with great sadness that we bring to his many friends and admirers in the worlds of Fandom and Electronic Gaming the somber news of the sudden and unexpected death of Bill Kunkel.
Although the details are not yet known, Bill appears to have suffered a fatal fall in his bathroom late Saturday night/Sunday morning. He had celebrated his 61st birthday on July 21.
A man of vast and varied talents, Bill was a professional writer of both non-fiction and fiction, the co-founder of the world’s first video and computer game magazine (Electronic Games), a game designer, a comic book writer and a cartoonist.
As a fan, Bill Kunkel was noted for his trenchant, insurgent wit and his bitingly satiric cartoons. He was a member of the Brooklyn Insurgents in the 1970’s and the Vegrants in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
He was a friend for nearly half a century, our best friend for over three decades and our creative partner for more than 25 years. Nothing could ever fill the empty space in our hearts left due to Bill’s untimely passing.
Those who want to send messages of commiseration, condolence and support to Laurie, still largely bedfast due her medical crisis of last winter, can contact her at: ElfKunkel [at] aol [dot] com.
The New York Times offers this obituary.