'Static' Co-Creator Robert L. Washington III Dies at 47

The man who helped bring "Static" into the now defunct Milestone Comics died of a heart attack on Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, according to Comic Book Resources.

Robert L. Washington III, 47, introduced one of a handful of African American characters into the mainstream comic book scene in the early 1990s, paving the way for minority characters.

Washington has worked directly with writer Dwayne McDuffie, the co-founder of Milestone Comics who died early last year, and artist John Paul Leon, both of whom contributed their talents to the "Static" series.

Aside from "Static," which in the fall of 2000 morphed into animated series "Static Shock" on the WB network, Washington helped produce "Extreme Justice" for DC Comics.

Ken Branch, the inker who helped work on "Extreme Justice," said he enjoyed Washington's work.

"Though I never had the chance to meet Robert, I enjoyed his writing on 'Extreme Justice'," Branch said in an email. "It's sad that we are losing talent so often these days."

Washington also wrote "Ninjak," "Shadow Cabinet" and "Hero Comics 2012."