Charles W. Felix Jr., 46; Created Murals in Los Angeles
Charles W. (Cat) Felix Jr., an artist who came out of the East Los Angeles housing projects to create some of the city’s most spectacular murals, has died at his Pico Rivera home at age 46.
His brother, Leonard, said he died Tuesday of a heart attack after surgery to remove a brain tumor.
Best known as one of the lead artists for the Estrada Court murals on Olympic Boulevard between Grande Vista Avenue and Lorena Street, Felix most recently had been involved in nail-relief art, in which the heads of nails are used to make impressions.
That work ranged from portraits of Aztec gods and warriors to horses, his brother said.
Raised in East Los Angeles, Felix was one of the first artists involved in the Estrada Court murals, where neighbors and artists alike participated. The ongoing project, started in 1973, was funded by the city and depicts Chicano life and culture.
Felix is survived by his wife, Sherry, a son, two brothers, two sisters and his mother.
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