Jack Bradbury, animator/comic book artist best known for his work with Walt Disney's characters in both media, died of kidney failure at a nursing home in Sylmar, California, May 15, 2004, at the age of 89, it was reported in the LOS ANGELES TIMES.

A native of Seattle, he started at Disney in the mid-1930s and worked his way up to a full animator position, working on such famous shorts as Ferdinand the Bull and on memorable features, including FANTASIA, BAMBI and PINOCCHIO.

Cartoonist Gilbert T. "Gill" Fox, who helped launched characters like Plastic Man and the Spirit, died May 15, 2004 in Redding Ridge, Connecticut, reported the NEW YORK TIMES. He was 88 years old.

Fox worked as an editor, artist and writer at Quality Comics from 1940 to 1943, where he drew covers for Dollman and edited POLICE COMICS, which featured Jack Cole's Plastic Man. He also pen-and-inked TORCHY, a comic book created by the pin-up artist Bill Ward.

Lee Orgel, animation producer and veteran of Broadway, television and the film industry, passed away at his home in Burbank, California, of emphysema on May 12, 2004 at the age of 78.

The New Jersey native began his career 60 years ago as the stage manager for MGM’s live presentations at the Capitol Theater in New York, after which he became one of the pioneers of television while continuing to produce on Broadway.

Disney and Hanna-Barbera animtor Harry Holt passed away April 14, 2004. He was 93 years old.

Holt first went to work at Disney in 1936 during the hiring ramp up for production on SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Trained at the studio, he started out as an apprentice and worked his way helping develop the feature. He would later help design scenes for LADY AND THE TRAMP.

After 20 years at Disney, he moved to Chicago to work in television production and art direction. Later he joined HB, where he worked on THE FLINTSTONES and TOM AND JERRY.

Richard P. Kempster, exec producer at visual effects and character animation at studio Kleiser-Walczak, died March 28, 2004 at his home in Seal Beach, California after suffering a pulmonary embolism. He was 57.

Mitsuteru Yokoyama, the cartoonist behind the classic manga GIGANTOR, passed away April 15, 2004 after suffering burns from a fire in his Tokyo home earlier in the day, reported KYODO NEWS. He was 69. The blaze was reported to police by his younger sister when she discovered his bed was on fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined. His other credits include RED SHADOW, JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT, MASKED NINJA AKAKAGE and SALLY, THE WITCH.

Cinar founder Micheline Charest died on April 14, 2004 from complications following plastic surgery, reports www.Canada.com. She was 51.

AWN is saddened to report that legendary animation educator and historian Bill Moritz passed away on March 12, 2004 after suffering a long illness.

Dr. William Moritz is a world-renowned expert on animation, experimental film and visual music, and has authored more than 100 articles, chapters and program notes. His forthcoming book OPTICAL POETRY is the culmination of his 34 years of research and work with the Fischinger Archive. OPTICAL POETRY reveals fully his passion for the Fischinger legacy, and fully details his decades of archival work on the films.

Voice actor Tony Pope, who gave voice to Goofy and the Wolf in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?, Detective Shunsaku Ban in the animated film METROPOLIS and Furby, an interactive toy that was the rage in 1998, has passed on at the age of 56. He died of complications following leg surgery Feb. 11, 2004 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California.

Stage and voice actor Jason Raise died last week of an apparent suicide in Yass, Australia, reported Broadway.com. He was 28.

Raize voiced the character of Denahi from Disney's BROTHER BEAR. He made his Broadway breakthrough as the original Simba in the stage version of THE LION KING.

Raize is survived by his father Robert Rothenberg, mother Sarah MacArthur, sister Lisa Williams, stepmother Monet Rothenberg, stepfather Jim Kidd and four stepbrothers and two stepsisters.