Moore was born in
Montgomery City, Missouri, in 1905. He was the son of a jeweler and clockmaker, and originally intended to become an engineer (at the request of his father), before he realised that he could live off his job as an artist. He attended
Washington University Art School in
St. Louis. McCoy took over the responsibilities of illustrating
The Phantom. Differing sources conflict in their accounts of the transition from Moore to McCoy. In a 1978 interview with
Phantom writer Falk, he described the change this way: McCoy was Moore's assistant and good friend. When Moore was called into the military, McCoy took over and he also continued when Moore came back. From then on Moore drew on extremely rare occasions, but he was still on the pay list, and at first his signature was also on some of the series he did not draw. In yet another interview, Falk stated, "Ray only drew it for three or four years, then he went off to war as a pilot. Then Wilson McCoy, who was a friend of his, ... took over in his absence. But he kept Ray's name on it right through the war.
Personal life and death Moore was known to be as mysterious as the Phantom character he illustrated. He lived most of his life in
Missouri, together with his wife, Claire. Prior to 2011, only two photos of him were known to exist, both in profile. His face was therefore quite unknown to the world. And if he on a rare occasion did an interview, he seldom mentioned his private life. The idea of the Phantom's pet
wolf Devil is believed to have come from Moore's lifelong pleasure of drawing wolves and his love of dogs. Ray Moore died in
Manchester, Missouri, in 1984 of a
stroke. He was survived by his wife, Claire, who died in 2005; Mary Adelia Moore (now deceased); his younger brother, David Yerly Moore Jr.; his nephew, John Alt Moore; and his great-nieces, Maria Moore Zeig and Gina Moore Reiners. of woodland that Claire and Ray owned in
Des Peres, Missouri was donated to the
Missouri Department of Conservation and named "
Phantom Forest" after his comic strip hero. In July 2011, in appreciation for Phantom fans worldwide and in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the
Phantom comic strip, his great-niece Gina Moore Reiners made public a series of Moore family photographs ranging from Ray Moore's childhood to adulthood. == Art style ==