Carlos Ezquerra, the legendary Spanish artist who co-created Judge Dredd for 2000AD and gave the futuristic lawman his distinctive look, has died at the age of 70.

Ezquerra, who lived in Andorra, began his career in British comics in 1973, after working on Spanish war and westerns comics. He found work on the war comic Battle Picture Weekly, drawing the adventures of the Dirty Dozen-inspired Rat Pack and later the strip Major Eazy, before editor and writer Pat Mills, who launched 2000AD in 1977, asked Ezquerra to come up with character designs for Judge Dredd.

Dredd’s helmet, knee-pads and eagle-motif shoulder decoration were instantly iconic, as were the cityscapes Ezquerra developed for Dredd’s beat, the sprawling, dystopian Mega-City One. Dredd debuted in the second issue of 2000AD, but was not drawn by Ezquerra, despite his crucial role in the character’s design. Ezquerra returned to drawing for Battle for a few months, then teamed up with original Dredd writer John Wagner to create what many fans consider the quintessential period of the character.

A 40th anniversary special of 2000AD, illustrated by Ezquerra. Photograph: 2000AD Comics

Mills confirmed that Ezquerra had died and told the Guardian: “Carlos was without a doubt 2000AD’s greatest artist, and, indeed the premier artist of British comics. He was also a great guy to hang out with and he had a fabulous dark sense of humour. We will all miss him hugely.”

Ezquerra also created, with Dredd writer Wagner, the character Johnny Alpha for the strip Strontium Dog, which first appeared in the comic Starlord but later became a 2000AD staple when the two comics merged. Ezquerra reportedly refused to illustrate a 1988 story in which the bounty hunter was killed off, as he’d become so attached to the character.

David Bishop, who was 2000AD editor from 1996 to 2000, called Ezquerra “a gigantic, innovative talent”.

“He put the work ahead of ego, turning down easier paydays to pursue strips like the ground-breaking El Mestizo, a black slave fighting in the American Civil War – hardly typical fare for British war comics,” Bishop said. “Decades into an incredible career he dove head-first into creating comics on computer when others were content to play it safe. His work is the imagery that generations of readers have grown up enjoying. Carlos was a true gentleman, and a terrible loss for everyone who loved him or his work.”

Very sad to hear that Judge Dredd legend Carlos Ezquerra has passed away, surely the definitive Dredd artist. Had the honour of working with him back in my early 20s on the Purgatory strip. His unique style elevated every strip he touched: pic.twitter.com/pVvawVZsHU — Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) October 1, 2018

Many comics creators paid tribute to Ezquerra on Twitter as the news broke on Monday. Kingsman and Kick-Ass writer Mark Millar called him “the definitive Dredd artist”. Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons tweeted: “I’m shocked and greatly saddened. He was a good friend and an immense talent.”

Andy Diggle, who was the editor of 2000AD in 2000 and writer for Hellblazer and Swamp Thing, tweeted: “Just feeling hollowed out by the news. Between Strontium Dog and Judge Dredd, his work has meant more to me over the years than any other comic artist. I remember how his pages would smell of fine cigar smoke. He was just a lovely man.”

In a statement, 2000AD said: “It is difficult to put this into words, but we have lost someone who was the heart and soul of 2000AD. It is no exaggeration to call Carlos Ezquerra one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, and his name deserves to be uttered alongside Kirby, Ditko, Miller, Moebius, and Eisner.

“Yet this doesn’t really do justice to someone whose work was loved by millions and has had an influence far beyond the comic book page. From Judge Dredd to Strontium Dog, from Rat Pack to Major Eazy, Carlos has left us with a legacy of stunning and distinctive work that was and always will be 2000 AD. He has been one of the pillars, producing the same dynamic, enthralling and arresting art we always loved him for. We thought we had many more adventures to come from the master, so we are devastated to discover we were wrong.”

In 2010, Ezquerra told fans on a 2000AD message board that he’d been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer and had had one of his lungs removed. “OK, one less lung but ... who the hell needs two for drawing?” he wrote.