Elbert Tuganov, the father of Estonian animation, died on March 22, 2007. He was 87.

Tuganov was actually born in Baku, Azerbaijan (1920), and began his animation career in Germany. When Hitler took power, Tuganov returned to Estonia.

Michel M. Grilikhes -- producer of the first primetime cartoon series, CBS CARTOON THEATER -- died March 9, 2007, in Los Angeles of kidney failure, reports THE BIG CARTOON DATABASE. He was 83 years old.

CBS Cartoon Theater only aired one year -- 1956 -- and was hosted by Dick Van Dyke. The series was comprised mainly of Terrytoons. In some episodes, Van Dyke would interact with some of his cartoon guests.

E. Natatcha Estebanez, series producer for PBS' POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER, passed away from the complications of a metastasized sarcoma on March 15, 2007, reports the Big Cartoon Database. She was 45. Previously, she survived battles with Hodgkin's disease and breast cancer.

In 2005 and 2006, she was part of the team nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Children's Series for POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER.

Eustace Lycett, a 43-year Disney veteran who won Academy Awards for his special photographic effects in MARY POPPINS and BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS, passed away on Nov. 16, 2006. He died of natural causes at Park Vista at Morningside Nursing Home in Fullerton, California. He was 91.

Comedian Richard Jeni, who made more appearances on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO than any other comic, died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face, reports various news outlet. He was taken to the hospital in Los Angeles after a 911 call where he died of his injuries. He was 45.

Walker Edmiston, a veteran voice actor, died on Feb. 15, 2007, at a Woodland Hills, California hospital, according to the Big Cartoon Database. He was 81 years old.

Edmiston may be best known for taking over the role of Beany on Bob Clampett's original TIME FOR BEANY after Daws Butler left the puppet show. He would later host his own puppet show, THE WALKER EDMISTON SHOW, for Los Angeles' KTLA.

Italian cartoonist Osvaldo Cavandoli, whose pen name was Cava, died on March 3, 2007 of natural causes. He was 87 years old. He is most known for his short cartoon series, LA LINEA (THE LINE).

Born in Maderno, Italy, he moved to Milan when he was two. From 1936 to 1940, he did technical design for Alfa Romeo. He moved into cartoons in 1943 when he began working with Nino Pagot, the creator of CALIMERO. In 1950 he started working in animation independently directing and producing his work. LA LINEA debuted on TV in 1969.

U.K. based producer Dick Arnall, who produced Robert Bradbrook's multi-award winning HOME ROAD MOVIES and helped start the animate! scheme, died on Feb. 6, 2007. His other producing credits included Ruth Lingford's DEATH AND THE MOTHER (1988), Lizzie Oxby's EXTN. 21 (2002), Run Wrake's RABBIT (2005) and Jo Ann Kaplan's ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY (2006). He was nominated for two BAFTA awards for his work on HOME ROAD MOVIES as well as Tim Webb's A IS FOR AUTISM (1992).

AWN is sad to report the passing of legendary animator Ryan Larkin at 10:30 pm on Feb. 14, 2007, in Canada. He was 63 years old. Larkin was recently diagnosed with brain cancer.

Born in Montreal, Larkin was nominated for the Oscar for his 1969 short film, WALKING. In 1972, he was again honored with an Oscar nod for his short film, STREET MUSIQUE. Moreover, he provided animated effects for Mort Ransen’s RUNNING TIME, for which he acted in three small roles.

Peter Ellenshaw, the Oscar-winning visual effects pioneer and matte artist who worked his inventive magic on such classic Disney live-action films as MARY POPPINS, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, TREASURE ISLAND and THE BLACK HOLE, passed away at his home in Santa Barbara on Monday (Feb. 12, 2007) at the age of 93.

Emmy-winning composer and arranger Harvey R. Cohen passed away on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007, after suffering a heart attack in his Agoura Hills, California, home, reports VARIETY. He was 55.

Cohen won two Emmys for his music for the animated series -- DISNEY'S ALADDIN in 1995 and THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN AND ROBIN in 1996. He garnered three other Emmy nominations for animated series -- two for CASPER and the other for BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. His fourth nomination was for music direction on a Patti LaBelle PBS special.

Special effects wizard "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, who was known widely for his pedal steel guitar work with Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers, died on Saturday morning (Jan. 6, 2007), from complications brought on by Alzheimer's disease in a nursing facility in Petaluma, California. He was 72.

His daughter Anita confirmed his death saying that he had been living with the disease for more than 18 months and it "hit him hard and fast."

FRITZ THE CAT producer Steve Krantz passed away Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, in Los Angeles from complications of pneumonia, reports VARIETY. He was 83.

Krantz began as a writer-producer for Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle and Kate Smith, eventually becoming the exec producer for Steve Allen's THE TONIGHT SHOW.

Born in New York, he earned his degree at Columbia College, followed by a stint in the Army.

Renowned animator Iwao Takamoto, the designer of such beloved characters as Scooby-Doo, has died at the age of 81 in Los Angeles.

Actor Dean Turner, who voiced many English dubs of anime series, died Dec. 28, 2006, at Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center in Hawaii, reports BCDB.COM. He was 84. Turner died of respiratory failure after fighting diabetes for several years, said his partner of 40 years, actor Richard Pellett.

Turner voiced Lee and the Secretary Of Commerce in GASARAKI (1998), the Department Chief in HEPPOKO [SILLY] ANIMATION EXCEL SAGA (QUACK EXPERIMENTAL ANIME EXCEL SAGA) (1999), the Maitre D in A.D. POLICE: TO PROTECT AND SERVE (1999), and a driver and council member in NOIR (2001).

Independent filmmaker, Helen Hill, was shot to death in her New Orleans home on Jan. 4, 2007, reports ASSOCIATED PRESS. Hill's husband, physician Dr. Paul Gailiunas, was also injured in the attack. The couple had moved to the Faubourg Marigny area following the destruction of their home in the Mid-City section of the city as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Police report that both were shot at their front door at approximately 5:30 am. No other details were made available.

Prescott Wright, a founder of the ASIFA-San Francisco Chapter, producer of the Tournee Of Animation for many years and a founder of the Ottawa Animation Festival passed away on Dec. 28, 2006, at a hospital in Albuquerque at the age of 71, reports Karl Cohen, animation professor/historian and president of ASIFA-SF.

He had been in slow decline for several years with Picks Disease, a form of dementia related to Alzheimer’s.

Shirley Walker, Emmy-winning composer and orchestrator, passed away on Nov. 30, 2006, reports THE L.A. TIMES. She was 61. Walker died from complications after a stroke in Reno, Nevada.

As a woman, Walker stood out in the world of movie composing, where females number less than 5%.

She won her two Emmys for her work as music director on THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN in 1996 and BATMAN BEYOND in 2001. She made her first foray into scoring for animation on BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES.

Actor Anthony Jackson, who provided many voices for Britain's IVOR THE ENGINE animated series, died Nov. 26, 2006, in London of cancer, according to the Big Cartoon Database. He was 62.

Born in Birmingham on Feb. 18, 1944, Jackson voiced Dai Station, Evans the Song and Mr. Dinwiddy on IVOR THE ENGINE, which debuted with six episodes in 1958. He reprised the same roles when the series was remade in color in 1975.

The other shoe has fallen. Joseph Barbera, co-founder of Hanna-Barbera and co-creator of such favorite animation characters as Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby–Doo and The Jetsons, died of natural causes at his home with his wife, Sheila, at his side, in Studio City, California, on Dec. 18, 2007, according to Warner Bros. spokesman Gary Miereanu.