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3 OBITUARY maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 AUGUST 2026 'You will remain in my life forever': Ġorġ Mallia dies aged 68 CARTOONIST, author and University of Malta lecturer Ġorġ Mallia has died aged 68, leaving behind a career span- ning literature, illustration, political satire and academia. Mallia died on the morning of Wednesday 19 August, just three months after marrying Shirley Cauchi in a private cer- emony. Although brief, it was a mar- riage that was the culmination of a relationship that had al- ready lasted several years. In a tribute following his death, Cauchi described the three months they had as "far too lit- tle time," but also as "the most beautiful time of my life." "He loved me, and he gave himself to me without holding anything back," she wrote. The couple had known each other for three years and had been friends for two years before that. "He always put me before himself," she wrote. Cauchi had recounted that the evening before his death, he had been checking that she was eating properly and encourag- ing her to cook and relax after visiting him in hospital. He had also asked what date it was, be- cause he was looking forward to 7 September, when the cou- ple would have been able to publicly mark three months of marriage. Instead, Shirley is now facing the task of sorting through the projects and belongings Mallia left behind. "But the first thing I need to do is piece my heart back together," she wrote. Mallia was born in Qormi and went on to become one of Mal- ta's better-known cartoonists and educators. He was also the head of UOM's Department of Media and Communications. He influenced generations of students through his teaching, writing and research. He also pioneered The Scream, the an- nual student magazine which emerged in the 1990s. His creative work extended well beyond cartoons. Mallia wrote and illustrated numer- ous children's books, including Ktieb ix-Xwejjaħ, published in 1987, and Avventura taħt l-Art, first published in English in 1989 before being adapted into Maltese in 1993. He was also behind the Pullu series for young children and published L-Istejjer tal-Pro- fessur Għasfur two years ago. For adult readers, his work in- cluded Mitt Ruħ, published in 2020. But it was perhaps his car- toons, particularly those pub- lished every week in The Sun- day Times of Malta, that made Mallia a familiar figure to gen- erations of Maltese readers. Satire was not merely enter- tainment for Mallia. It was a way of confronting what he saw as injustice and abuse. He became increasingly outspo- ken on issues surrounding the rule of law, particularly fol- lowing the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. In a 2020 interview with Mal- taToday, Mallia argued that sa- tirical cartoons had a journalis- tic role because they expressed the opinions and frustrations of sections of society. He said he was "firing with both barrels" at what he de- scribed as corruption, crony- ism and abuse of power at the highest levels. In recent years, his Facebook page also became a place where he paid tribute to people who had died, producing carica- tures of both prominent and lesser-known figures. His final such tribute was to broadcaster Norman Hamilton last week. Then, on 6 August, Mallia posted a caricature connected to another long-running pro- ject — a book he had begun writing 40 years earlier and was finally completing. "Will I ever see it finished? I hope…" he wrote. He did not. Yet those who knew him say his work, ideas and influence will remain. His son Samwel shared a photograph of himself and his sister Liża with their father, writing: "I cannot understand or believe it, da. We will always cherish you and your impossi- bly fantastic dreams." Shirley's son, Nik Keter, also remembered Mallia as some- one who had encouraged and inspired him. "You inspired me; I saw in you the academic success that I could respect and use as a ref- erence," he wrote. "You made my mother happy, and I always found you standing by her and by me." The Qormi local council, where Mallia was born also paid tribute, describing his death as a loss to the town and to Malta's worlds of art, cul- ture and communication. The council highlighted his contribution as an academic, author, caricaturist and illus- trator, as well as the legacy he leaves through the students who had the opportunity to learn from him. Mallia is survived by Shirley, his children and the many stu- dents, friends, colleagues and readers whose lives he touched. Shirley ended her tribute with a final promise to the man she had loved. "George, you will remain in my life forever — I will NEVER forget you." LAURA CALLEJA lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt Gorg Mallia alongside wife Shirley Cauchi after getting married Gorg Mallia