Artist Robert Indiana, creator of 'LOVE' series, is dead at 89

Artist Robert Indiana, best known for his "LOVE" series, has died at his Maine home. He was 89.

His attorney said he died Saturday of respiratory failure, the Associated Press reported.

Born Robert Clark, the artist spent his adolescence in Indianapolis. He attended Arsenal Technical High School and was offered a one-year scholarship to the Herron Art School in Indianapolis, but turned it down to join the Army Air Force.

He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to New York City, where he changed his last name to "Indiana" in 1958.

"I wanted a more distinctive handle, and my ties to Indiana are strong," he told IndyStar in 2014.

His original "LOVE" sculpture is on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the "Indiana obelisk" is on display in the atrium of the Indiana State Museum.

He was a nominee for induction to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Indiana designed the Milwaukee Bucks' court used at the MECCA in 1978.

Since 1978, he's lived on Vinalhaven Island off Maine.

The Associated Press reports friends had recently expressed concern for his well-being because they hadn't heard from him in some time.

IndyStar reporter Will Higgins and the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.

