Illustrator Robert DeMichiell, Jr., Known for Work on Broadway Art, Passes Away

Robert Lawrence DeMichiell Jr. passed away last night (Monday, October 12) in Manhattan after a three year battle with cancer. He died peacefully at home with his husband Jeffrey M. Wilson at his side.

DeMichiell was born on May 2, 1958 in Portland, Maine, to Robert Lawrence DeMichiell Sr. and Nan (McEvoy) DeMichiell. At the age of 2, his family moved to Kodiak, Alaska, where his father was the Commanding Officer of the LORAN station. In 1962, Robert Sr. was transferred to the faculty of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, and the family moved to Waterford, Connecticut where they still reside. Bob Sr. passed away in 2014.

As a young boy, Robert loved art and would copy any illustration he saw. With his father as his chaperone and biggest champion, he attended hundreds of art fairs with a sign, "You name it, I'll draw it. One dollar. No dogs". In 1980, he graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and moved to New York, which remained his home.

DeMichiell was one of the most prolific commercial illustrators of his time, with a distinctive style that was synonymous with sophisticated New York City-based entertainment and culture. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker (including the cover in 1993, and hundreds of theatrical illustrations for them, including the magazine's first ever color illustration of the Blue Man Group), Entertainment Weekly (where he was a regular for many years) and Premiere Magazine's "If You Ask Me" column for 12 years.

Additionally, he created the signature art for many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including Oliver (1984), The Wind and the Willows (1985), Arsenic and Old Lace (1986), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told (1998), La Cage aux Folles (the 2004 revival), as well as numerous posters for the charity Broadway Cares including the organization's annual Easter Bonnet, Gypsy of the Year, Nothing Like a Dame, Broadway Flea Market and Broadway Barks events. His illustrations have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Readers Digest, TV Guide, Hartford Courant and literally hundreds of newspapers and magazines around the country. His corporate work includes images for American Express, Absolut Vodka, and many others.

He married Jeffrey M. Wilson on March 25, 2012 and their wedding was profiled in the NY Times. A year later, their photo appeared in a story about same-sex marriage .

He is survived by his mother Nan, sisters Lynn (husband Brian) Lynch and Gail DeMichiell, nephews Matthew and David Lynch, and niece Jessica Harran.

A long-planned celebration of his art work will be held, as originally planned, this evening (Tuesday, October 13, 2015). Entitled "Robert de Michiell: On Fire Island," the exhibition will be from 1:00-5:00 PM today with a closing reception from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at ClampArt Gallery, 531 West 25th in Manhattan.

Tributes are coming in from all over. Here is a beautiful one from Paul Rudnick: Robert de Michiell.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to The Actors Fund, 729 Seventh Ave., New York, NY, 10019 or to Calvary Fund (Calvary Hospital Hospice), 1740 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10461