Fran Frisch

Francis John (Fran) Frisch (August 18, 1948 – August 29, 2021)^[1] was an American cartoonist for the Bay Area Reporter and Bear Magazine.^[2][3]

Personal life

Frisch was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and graduated from Hill Murray High School in 1966.^[4] In 1990, Frisch relocated to San Francisco.^[5] An openly gay man and a bear,^[6] Frisch was praised for the cartoons he drew for the magazine Bear.^[7] It was there he became known as the "Beartoonist of San Francisco".^[8] With his new-found popularity, Frisch became a founding member of Bears of San Francisco and routinely donated his artwork to support LGBTQ organizations.^[9]

Later life, death, and legacy

Retiring in 2007, Frisch moved to Palm Springs, CA. He died of cancer shortly after his 73rd birthday.^[10]

In 2017, the GLBT History Museum held an exhibition of his work entitled "Beartoonist of San Francisco: Sketching an Emerging Subculture".^[11]