A cartoonist, Berg is best known for his work in Mad magazine, where he was an artist since 1956. His feature “The Lighter Side of…” began in the magazine in 1961 and has been drawn by him since.
His strips often featured the pipe-smoking “Roger Kaputnik” — his own alter-ego observer to help make Berg’s points. “He was not a cynic at all,” said Mad co-editor Nick Meglin. “It was just vignettes that he personally witnessed and did variations on of everyday life wherever it occurred.”
His last “Lighter Side” feature will be in Mad’s 50th Anniversary issue in September. Berg died May 16 from cancer in Marina del Rey, Calif. He was 81.