Humberto Lázaro Miranda Ramírez (LAZ), cartoonist and contributor to the newspaper Juventud Rebelde, has passed away at 64 years of age, the publication confirmed today.

Born in Havana, Miranda Ramírez developed an extensive career in costumbrista drawing, illustration, and political and personal caricature.

He participated in over one hundred collective and solo exhibitions in Cuba and abroad, receiving nearly one hundred national awards and approximately twenty international distinctions throughout his artistic career.

A graduate in Visual Arts and member of the Dedeté Graphic Humor Group, he worked as a letterer, comic artist, illustrator and cartoonist, with emphasis on costumbrista humor and social and political satire.

From his youth, he was associated with the weekly Pionero, where his artistic training began.

Throughout his career, LAZ worked with national media and participated in international events in Italy, Greece, Mexico, Colombia and the United States.

In these countries he conducted workshops and talks about caricature and graphic humor; his work reflected notable aspects of daily life and Cuban cultural identity, recalled Juventud Rebelde, which expressed condolences to the artist’s family and friends.

Details regarding LAZ’s funeral remain unknown at this time; some of his works were shared by the newspaper as a posthumous tribute.