Nerdvana brings us the sad news that Sheldon Dorf, the founder of the San Diego Comic-Con, has passed away at the age of 76. The blog reports that Sheldon died from liver failure this past Tuesday.

Dorf, who was also a comic strip letterer, founded Comic-Con in 1970. The first real running of the convention pulled in only a few hundred attendees but has since evolved into pop culture's biggest event, running four-days long and attracting over 100,000 comic, TV, and film fans from all over. What Dorf started has become one of geekdom's best ways to get together and celebrate all things awesome.