Today's Google welcome page honors the birthday of artist Keith Haring, whose distinctive cartoons became part of the cultural landscape of the 1980s.

"His populist philosophy is easily traceable in his paintings: he used simple, energetic line drawings to transmit important social messages as they emerged in the 1980s," according to Gale Biography in Context.

"Warning of the dangers of crack cocaine and other drugs, espousing safe sex and anti-apartheid logos, Haring traveled to many countries around the world, sometimes joining school children to encourage self-expression."

Haring, who learned that he had AIDS in 1988, established the Keith Haring Foundation in 1989, which supports non-profit organizations that help children as well as groups involved in education, research and care related to AIDS.

He died of AIDS at age 31 on February 16, 1990.