Hal Marcus, celebrated El Paso artist and musician, dies at 74

by Robert Moore

April 12, 2026

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Hal Marcus, an artist, musician and promoter of the beauty of El Paso, died Sunday morning after a battle with cancer. He was 74.

“Our beloved Hal Marcus passed into the next realm this morning at 4:39 a.m.,” his daughter and business partner, Leilainia Marcus, said in a statement. “He will live in the hearts of everyone he met for eternity.”

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Marcus was best known for his pop-surrealist paintings that captured life in the El Paso-Juárez border area. He also was a book illustrator, and in recent years had collaborated with author Luke Lowenfield on a series of children’s books.

For the past 30 years he operated the Hal Marcus Gallery. The gallery sold works by Marcus and other El Paso artists, many of whom he mentored.

He also was a drummer for the bands Jitano and the Desert Prophets and Nuevo Huevo. 

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, April 13, at B’nai Zion Cemetery, 3915 Gateway Blvd. West. Following the interment, family and friends are invited to a reception and ceremony to express condolences at the Sunset Parlor, 1307 N. Oregon St., El Paso, Texas 79902.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made toward the establishment of the Hal Marcus Art Museum at 1319 N. Oregon, scheduled to open in late 2027. To donate, go to SunsetParlor.com.

Survivors include his sisters, Shirleen Askenazi and Lillian Slovik, and brothers, Meyer Marcus and Clement Marcus; his first wife Judith Ann Marcus; his daughters; Leilainia and Nicole Adelaide; his son, Marco; and his wife of 25 years, Patricia Medici.

This is a developing story and will be updated.