William Aloysius Keane, a native Philadelphian whose first cartoon was printed in the Daily News on May 21, 1936, a self-taught artist whose early work also appeared in the old Evening Bulletin, died Tuesday at his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz., near Phoenix. He was 89.
Bil never used his full name, and after he began drawing professionally he shortened his first name by dropping one of the l's - "just to be distinctive," he said.
Jeff, who lives in Laguna Hills, Calif., said his father died of congestive heart failure. His five children, nine grandchildren and his great-granddaughter and got a chance to visit him during the last month, Jeff said.
"I think that gave him great comfort and made his passing easy," Jeff said.
Bil always said he was surprised by the response to the hug panel.
"I got a lot of mail from people about this dear little fella needing a hug and I realized that there was something more than just getting a belly laugh every day," he said after the panel appeared in the mid-'60s.
All of the characters in "Family Circus" are members of the Keane family, including the family pets, dogs Barfy and Sam and cat Kittycat.
"Everything that's happened in the strip has happened to me," Bil once said.
Mommy in the strip was his wife, the former Thelma "Thel" Carne, whom he met while serving in the Army in Australia. She died of Alzheimer's disease on May 22, 2008, depriving him of his inspiration and the person who ran his business affairs.
Although there are plenty of laughs in "Family Circle," Jeff said, "It was a different type of comic, and I think that was my Dad's genius - creating something that people could really relate to and wasn't necessarily meant to get a laugh. It was more of a warm feeling, or a lump in the throat."
