Miami artist LEBO dies after struggle with illness

MIAMI – Artist LEBO, whose collaborations included Ferrari, Google, Redbull, and designer Ralph Pucci, died on Tuesday, his brother announced. He was 50.

Le Batard’s older brother former ESPN host and Miami Herald sports writer Dan Le Batard announced during the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” that David “LEBO” Le Batard died at 2 a.m.

“I have been grieving for a year because when he was diagnosed more than a year ago, he has been steadily deteriorating since, and it has been brutally hard to watch a poison eating him up from the inside, and one of the biggest spirits I have ever seen to be consumed by illness,” the sportscaster said without specifying what the diagnosis was.

David Le Batard was born on Nov. 19, 1972, in New York. He moved to Broward County when he was 13 years old, and he visited his Cuban grandparents regularly in Miami’s Little Havana. He was a student at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood and at Florida International University.

As LEBO, he was a self-proclaimed “innovator of Postmodern Cartoon Expressionism.” The Cuban-American graphic and fine artist was proud of his days as a graffiti writer, which evolved into lucrative work in his showroom in Miami’s Wynwood and a studio in Miami Beach.

“I work for myself. I own my own company. I hate that term ‘sellout.’ There’s no selling out,” the artist told the Miami New Times in 2016 about graffiti writers who criticized his business acumen.

LEBO’s eye-catching mural on the side of the historic Roosevelt Theatre on Arthur Godfrey Road has been welcoming tourists to Miami Beach for years. He commercialized it on T-shirts and prints. His owls and cats were on colorful murals, paintings, and sculptures and he described his work as “a world where mythology, history, metaphysics, and illustration all join seamlessly.”

At the Port of Miami, LEBO decorated the Norwegian Cruise Line’s The Getaway ship with a seascape design that was centered on a mermaid and three gliding pelicans.

His list of collaborations also included Coca-Cola, Vitamin Water, Harley Davidson, Audi, Microsoft, Lulu Lemon, Adidas, American Airlines, Gibson Guitars, Universal Music, Gloria Estefan, Bacardi, and The Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat released a statement: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of Miami street artist David Le Batard. Our deepest condolences go out to the Le Batard family as we mourn their loss. RIP Lebo.”

Norwegian Cruise Line released a statement: “Today, we celebrate the life of our friend and artist David “LEBO” Le Batard, hull artist of Norwegian Getaway. Thank you for sharing your light within the Miami community and around the world. We’re honored to share your artistry and cultural legacy as Norwegian Getaway sails across the globe.”

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