We’re sorry to report the passing of American artist Robert Tinney, famous for his playful covers for BYTE Magazine, a hobbist magazine that ushered in the microcomputing age from the mid-1970s through the 1990s.
His art helped define the visual identity of the personal computing revolution.
A tribute on his official website notes Robert Frank Tinney, of Washington, Louisiana, passed away peacefully at River Oaks Nursing & Rehabilitation Center on 1st February 2026, at the age of 78.
Born in 1947 in Penn Yan, New York, Robert studied illustration and graphic design in commercial art at Louisiana Tech University. After graduating, and a tour of service during the Vietnam War, he began a career that would see his artwork don the covers and pages of some of the most well-known computing publications in the world, most notably BYTE Magazine.
“Due to his signature artistic style,” his official tribute notes, “the name Robert Tinney soon became synonymous with the rapidly-growing world of computing technology, and remains so to this day.”
Married in 1978, Robert, a deeply caring husband and family man, and his wife, Susan, lived and worked in Baton Rouge until 1987, when they moved to Washington, Louisiana, where they would restore an historic landmark home, the Crawford House.
“For over four decades, Robert and Susan served and nurtured their beloved community with open arms, and were rewarded with priceless family memories and an exuberance of rich, cherished friendships. Robert’s philosophical intellect, refreshing humor and profoundly sympathetic nature will be sorely missed by his loving family and a wealth of loyal friends and admirers.”
“Robert’s signature artistic style made his name synonymous with the golden age of computing,” notes COMPUTE!’s Gazette magazine, who featured his final interview in their August 2025 issue, a free digital edition available from the publisher here. “His vivid, imaginative cover illustrations didn’t just decorate magazines — they captured the wonder, promise, and excitement of an entirely new era in technology. For an entire generation of computer enthusiasts, Robert Tinney’s art was the first thing that drew them in.
“… Rest in peace, Robert. Your art will live on forever in the hearts and memories of the computing community.”
The magazine notes how in 1975, the Carl Helmers, the founding editor of BYTE envisioned his magazine as the premier journal in its field, aspiring to the high-level, conceptual covers of Scientific American to attract a broad audience. By hiring Tinney, an artist with a non-technical background, Helmers strategically ensured the covers would be driven by metaphor, not schematics.
Robert is survived by his devoted wife of 48 years, Susan, three children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Our sympathies to family and friends at this time
• Robert Tinney, 22nd November 1947 – 1st February 2026 | Official Website | Share your thoughts of Robert here
• A celebration of Robert’s life will be held in May, 2026. For more information, RSVP to illustrations@tinney.net
Head downthetubes for…
• COMPUTE!’s Gazette Magazine August 2025 Digital Edition
Features Robert’s final interview. “The conversation is a testament to his generosity, his passion for his craft, and his enduring connection to the computing community he helped inspire,” say the publisher.
“We invite everyone to read, share, and remember the era that Robert’s art helped bring to life.”
• Worlds Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s by Adam Rowe | ISBN: 978-1419748691 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | ukBookshop.org Affiliate Link
A visual history of the spaceships, alien landscapes, cryptozoology, and imagined industrial machinery of 1970s paperback sci-fi art by Adam Rowe, curator of 70sscifiart project
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, downthetubes News, Features, Obituaries, Other Worlds
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