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Category: In Passing

Headline News

Animator Ken Southworth Dies at 89

Ken Southworth, an industry veteran who animated at Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Walter Lantz, MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Clokey Prods. and Filmation, has died after suffering several strokes on Dec. 5th at his home in Anaheim. He was 89.

Southworth was born in Lancashire, England, but moved to the U.S. after receiving a scholarship to attend the Chicago Art Institute. In 1944, he started work at Disney. His credits include ALICE IN WONDERLAND, CINDERELLA and SLEEPY HOLLOW.

Cartoon Headline News

Cartoon Network SVP Jennifer Davidson Dies at 38

Cartoon Network SVP of Programming and Scheduling, Jennifer Davidson, unexpectedly died early Saturday morning, Dec. 1, 2007. The 38-year-old wife and mother died of a sudden illness. She is survived by her husband, John Davidson, and three young children, Mitchell (7), Oliver (5) and Harper (2).

Headline News

3-Day Gaming Binge Leads to Death

In the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, a 30-year-old man died of exhaustion following a three-day Internet gaming marathon, the state media reported. Paramedics, after they were called to a cyber cafe after the man fainted, were unable to revive him. No mention was made of the game the man was playing. After the incident, nearly 100 frightened gamers left the cyber cafe.

China has one of the biggest markets for online gaming. Each year, clinics across the country treat children and teenagers for "Internet addiction."

Police Headline News

Animator Shot By Police in Vancouver

A man shot by police in Vancouver was identified by friends as animator Paul Boyd, according to the CBC. On Monday, Aug. 13, 2007, Vancouver police responded to a 911 call at Granville and 16th Ave., where Boyd was shot after allegedly threatening officers with a potentially lethal weapon.

Headline News

13-Year-Old VO Actor Dies in Skateboarding Accident

James Street, a voice actor for DIC's STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE series since 2004, died on July 4, 2007, after suffering injuries in a skateboarding accident close to home in Thousand Oaks, California, reports THE BIG CARTOON DATABASE. He was 13 years old.

Street's most recent voice work could be heard on TV as Pepito in MADELINE and on home video as Huckleberry Pie in STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL. Street took over the role of Huckleberry in 2004's STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: ADVENTURES ON ICE CREAM ISLAND.

Disney Headline News

Flintstones Composer Will Schaefer Passes Away

Will Schaefer, the composer on many Hanna-Barbara series, such as THE FLINTSTONES, THE YOGI BEAR SHOW and SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU!, passed away from cancer on Saturday, June 30, 2007, in Palm Desert, California. He was 78 years old.

Schaefer also composed music for Walt Disney Studios, working on TV shows like THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY and the 1970 feature, THE ARISTOCATS, which he teamed with George Bruns.

Disney Headline News

Veteran Disney Animator/Filmmaker Art Stevens Dies at Age 92

Veteran Disney animator/filmmaker Art Stevens, who co-produced and co-directed THE FOX AND THE HOUND, and co-directed THE RESCUERS during his illustrious 44-year career at the Disney studio, passed away at the age of 92 on May 22, 2007, at his home in Studio City, California, after suffering a heart attack in his rose garden.

College Headline News

Visual Effects Artist Eric Algren Dies at 32

Eric Algren passed away unexpectedly on May 25, 2007, at the age of 32, reports the BIG CARTOON DATABASE.

His most recent work was as a Flame artist on FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER. He also served as a digital compositor on the upcoming sci-fi thriller THE INVASION, which is set for release in the U.S. on Aug. 17.

He worked for such companies as Hydraulx, Digital Domain and Creo for projects including 300, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, AEON FLUX, LITTLE MAN, FAILURE TO LAUNCH and TITANIC. In 2000, he was an animation assistant on Disney's DINOSAUR.

Work Headline News

Charles Nelson Reilly Dies at 76

Tony Award winning actor Charles Nelson Reilly has died at the age of 76, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. He passed away on May 25, 2007, in Los Angeles from complications from pneumonia, reported his partner, Patrick Hughes, to the NEW YORK TIMES.

Reilly's work in animation spanned several decades. In 1975-76, he hosted Filmation's kids' series UNCLE CROC'S BLOCK, which featured such animated segments as THE GROOVIE GOOLIES, WACKY AND PACKY, M*U*S*H and FRAIDY CAT.

Headline News

HB, MGM painter Roberta Greutert Passes Away

Roberta Greutert Marshall, Hanna-Barbera's first ink-and-paint supervisor, passed away on April 26, 2007, in Woodland Hills, California, reports the BIG CARTOON DATABASE. She was 93 years old.

Born in Tennessee in 1914, she began her career in animation as a painter at MGM in 1938. While at MGM, she worked as a background artist in the CineScope Tom and Jerry shorts, TIMID TABBY (1957) and HAPPY GO DUCKY (1958).

In 1957, when the studio closed, she went to Hanna-Barbera, working as the ink-and-paint supervisor until she retired in the 1970s.

Series Headline News

Designer Benjamin "Ben" Ferrer Passes Away

Illustrator and designer Benjamin "Ben" Ferrer passed away on March 22, 2007, reports the THE BIG CARTOON DATABASE. He was 47 years old.

Ferrer designed vehicles, weapons and other inanimate objects for the HBO series, SPICY CITY, which was directed by Ralph Bakshi, as well as Todd MacFarlane's Emmy-winning SPAWN.

For Disney's 2002 direct-to-video, CINDERELLA II: DREAMS COME TRUE, he designed a Ferris wheel.

Headline News

Pooh Series Director Terry Harrison Passes Away

Veteran animator Terence "Terry" Harrison, who won an Emmy in 1990 as the co-director of DISNEY'S THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH, died on Feb. 28, 2007, in his native England at the age of 75.

Harrison also shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program in 1992 for POOH.

Harrison was an animator and director on Halas and Batchelor's FOO-FOO (1960). Harrison directed three shorts for the National Film Board of Canada, which included IN A NUTSHELL (1971), TILT (1972) and 11 STEPS TO SURVIVAL (1973).

Disney Headline News

Former Disney Animator Cassetti Dies at 35

Erica Deana Cassetti, a former animator for Walt Disney Feature Animation, died at her home in Chandler, Arizona, on April 21, 2007, reports THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC. She was 35 years old.

Cassetti was born Nov.18, 1971, in Houston, Texas, and went to CalArts. She began her career at Rhythm & Hues on the first Coca-Cola polar bear commercial. She followed that with a nine-year career at Disney, working on such films as THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, HERCULES, TARZAN and ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE. She left Disney to work on DreamWorks' SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS.

Headline News

Veteran Layout Artist/Designer Carol Lundberg Dies

Carol Lundberg, who worked for such studios as Filmation Assoc., Marvel Prods., Hanna-Barbera Studios and Hyperion Pictures, died on Feb. 11, 2007, reports THE BIG CARTOON DATABASE. She was 72.

In 1969, Lundberg began work as a layout artist for Filmation, where she worked until 1981. Her Filmation layout credits included: STAR TREK (1973), THE SECRET LIVES OF WALDO KITTY (1975), THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BATMAN (1977), THE YOUNG SENTINELS (1977), THE FAT ALBERT CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (1977) and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FLASH GORDON (1979).

Comics Headline News

Legendary Comic Artist Marshall Rogers Dies at 57

Marshall Rogers, who was instrumental in revitalizing BATMAN in the 1970s, died unexpectedly at his home in Fremont, California, on March 25, 2007, reports various news outlets. He was 57 years old. His family is still waiting for the official cause of death.

Rogers was a relatively inexperienced outsider when he took over the plum assignment of penciling Batman's adventures in "Detective Comics" in 1977. Paul Levitz, president of DC Comics now and a writer then, recalled that Rogers became "one of the radical young stylists bringing new looks to DC in the '70s."

Disney Headline News

Leading Technology Forecaster Tim Onosko Passes Away

Tim Onosko, a leading new technology expert and trend forecaster, who worked for and advised The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering and Universal Studios, passed away at his home in Madison, Wisconsin, on March 6, following a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 60-years-old.

Animation Headline News

Estonian Animator Elbert Tuganov Passes Away at 87

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.

Cartoon Headline News

CBS Cartoon Theater Producer Passes Away at 83

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.

Series Headline News

Postcards From Buster Producer Dies at 45

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.

Headline News

Comedian Richard Jeni Dies On Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound

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.

Disney Headline News

Oscar-Winning Special Effects Wizard Eustace Lycett Dies

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.

Headline News

Beany Voice Actor Walker Edmiston Dies

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.

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