Artist and Cannabis Lover Bob Wakelin Passes Away

On Jan. 21, it was announced that renowned video game illustrator Bob Wakelin passed away after a long battle with leukemia. Wakelin, beyond defining the 16-bit generation of video game fans, was a major supporter of cannabis rights.

Wakelin was always surprisingly open about consuming cannabis. “I smoked cannabis by day and drank beer at night,” Wakelin told Motherboard in 2015.  I lived in the inner city and many of my friends were unemployed ex-punks and people who liked to live, for want of a better term, ‘alternative’ lifestyles. My studio flat was a good place for them to hang out while I worked. We would listen to music, drink coffee and smoke large amounts of cannabis.”

It’s not clear whether cannabis probably played a role in his creative development. “It was a purely social thing,” he added.

Wakelin was best known for painting the covers of video games for the UK-based Ocean Software. He even designed Ocean’s logo. His résumé includes Contra, RoboCop, Miami Vice, Operation Wolf, Parasol Stars, Wizball, Batman by Ocean and more. In addition, Wakelin regularly painted cover art in association with DC Comics and Marvel UK. During his time at Ocean, Wakelin frequently consumed cannabis, close sources claim.

RIP Bob Wakelin.  The artist that defined Ocean gaming in the 80s and 90s.  There was nothing like the buzz of running up to the art department to see what Bob had delivered for your game’s cover.  I’ll sorely miss the loveable old scouse rogue. pic.twitter.com/GJi2kAhst6

— Paul Hughes (@PaulieHughes) January 21, 2018

Wakelin’s loss was most felt by the gaming community and the developers behind it. “RIP Bob Wakelin. The artist that defined Ocean gaming in the ’80s and ’90s. There was nothing like the buzz of running up to the art department to see what Bob had delivered for your game’s cover. I’ll sorely miss the loveable old scouse rogue,” game developer Paul Hughes tweeted. The image went viral on Twitter.

Wakelin’s loss is both a loss for the video community as well as the cannabis community, and his video game covers are still recognizable to this day.

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