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John Rogers, the president of Comic-Con International who helped grow the organization to unprecedented heights, has died. He passed Saturday morning from complications caused by brain cancer, organizers of the annual event announced on their Facebook page. No age was given.
Rogers was first elected as president of Comic-Con in 1986 and was re-elected every year since, making him the longest-serving president of the pop culture convention, which started in 1970.
Rogers is survived by his wife, Janet Tait, a former Comic-Con executive; sister Barbara, and brother David. Comic-Con said that in lieu of flowers, donations could be made in Rogers honor to The American Brain Tumor Association or the American Civil Liberties Union.
Previously, Rogers served as Technical Coordinator and Films Coordinator for the event. He started working on Comic-Con in 1978 while also employed as a software engineer at a local telecommunications company.
The news of Rogers death came just a few hours after badges became available to fans for next years convention, scheduled for the San Diego Convention Center from July 18 to July 21, 2019. The badges sold out quickly.
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