Following is The New York Times obituary of the artist:

Jean Giraud, the Comic-Book Artist Known as 'Moebius,' Dies at 73
By PAUL VITELLO
Published: March 14, 2012

Jean Giraud, a French comic-book artist whose dark, intricately drawn fantasy worlds exerted a profound influence on graphic novels worldwide and on American science fiction films such as Alien, Tron, The Fifth Element and Avatar died on Saturday at his home outside Paris. He was 73.

The cause was cancer, according to a statement by his publisher, Éditions Dargaud.

Mr. Giraud, who used the pen name Moebius in much of his work, was seen in the comic-book world as a kind of artist-avatar of the unbounded interior human landscap...