President Abdullah Gül said on Thursday he was saddened by the caricaturist’s death. “Turhan Selçuk was an internationally acclaimed cartoonist. He played an important role in developing the art of caricature in Turkey. Selçuk will always be remembered,” Gül noted, expressing his condolences to the Turkish people and Selçuk’s family.
The famed caricaturist was born in Muğla’s Milas district in 1922. He worked at several dailies, including Akşam, Milliyet, Yeni İstanbul and Yeni Gazete as well as the magazines Akis, Yön, Devrim and Toplum. He began drawing caricatures in 1957 while at Cumhuriyet and became famous for his “Abdulcanbaz” character.
A memorial ceremony will be held for Selçuk on Saturday at Cumhuriyet headquarters in İstanbul. On Sunday Selçuk will be buried in the town of Hacıbektaş, Nevşehir province, as requested in his will. Turhan Selçuk was the brother of journalist and writer İlhan Selçuk, who also works for Cumhuriyet.
