Al Feldstein, former longtime editor-in-chief of the satirical American "Mad" magazine died at age 88, the Montana funeral home organizing the burial said Wednesday.

The former artist died Tuesday, the Franzen-Davis Funeral home in Livingston, Montana confirmed to AFP, without giving further details.

Born in Brooklyn in 1925, Feldstein started his career early, coloring in cartoon backgrounds.

He took the reins of "Mad" in 1956, and ran the satirical publication for nearly 30 years, helping turn it into a pop culture institution and a huge commercial success with a circulation, at its peak in 1974, of 2.8 million.

The magazine was geared mainly at pre-teens, using wacky and irreverent humor to parody politics and take jabs at pop culture.

He recruited the many of the artists, including Don Martin, Mort Drucker and Dave Berg, whose work became emblematic of the magazine's caricature style.

After retiring in 1984, Feldstein moved to Montana, where he turned his energy toward painting the flora and fauna of the US west.

In 2011, he was awarded the Bram Stoker Award for lifetime achievement by the Horror Writers Association.