GRISY-LES-PLATRES, FRANCE.- French illustrator and cartoonist André François, 89, died. He was born under the name André Farkas in Timisoara, Romania in 1915. He studied in Budapest and became interested in mass-produced graphic art. He was mainly influenced by A. M. Cassandre. In 1934 Cassandre invited André François to study with him at a new school he opened in Paris. He became a French citizen in 1939 and had his name changed to François. He also got married in 1939 to British citizen Margaret Edmunds.

His work appeared in magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Vogue, Holiday and The New Yorker. A fire destroyed many of his works in his studio in 2002. He then set out to produce new work.