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Category: In Passing

Headline News

La Linea Creator Osvaldo Cavandoli Dies

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.

Headline News

Influential Producer Dick Arnall Dies

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).

Film Headline News

Ryan Larkin Dies at Age 63

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 Ransens RUNNING TIME, for which he acted in three small roles.

Disney Headline News

Disney VFX Pioneer Peter Ellenshaw Passes Away

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.

Music Headline News

TV Toon Composer Harvey R. Cohen Dies

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 Headline News

Legendary Guitarist/ Special F/X Wiz Kleinow Dies

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."

Headline News

Fritz the Cat Producer Krantz Passes Away

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.

Anime Headline News

Anime Voice Actor Dean Turner Passes Away

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).

Home Headline News

Animator Hill Murdered in New Orleans Home

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.

Animation Headline News

Animation Promoter Prescott Wright Passes Away at 71

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 Alzheimers.

Headline News

Batman Toon Composer Shirley Walker Passes

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 27, 2006 at 12:00am

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.

Animation Headline News

Animation Legend Joe Barbera Dies at 95

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, ScoobyDoo 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.

Series Headline News

Ivor the Engine Actor Dies

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.

Animation Headline News

Animation Vet Bonnell Passes Away at 58

Second-generation animation vet Nicolette "Nicki" Bonnell, who worked at Hanna-Barbera, Bakshi and Disney from 1966 to 2002, died Nov. 1, 2006, reports BigCartoonDatabase.com. She was 58.

Born on July 4, 1948 in Los Angeles, Bonnell was a cel painter, Xerox checker and animation checker. Her feature credits included TREASURE PLANET (2002), HOME ON THE RANGE (2004), ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (2001), FANTASIA 2000 (2000), THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE (2000), TARZAN (1999), HERCULES (1997), THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1996) and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991).

Headline News

Dudley Do-Right Creator Dies

Emmy Award-winning writer Chris Hayward, who is best known in the world of animation as the creator of Dudley Do-right, died, after battling a long disease, on Nov. 20, 2006, in Beverly Hills, reports VARIETY. He was 81.

Hayward started his writing career on Jay Ward's CRUSADER RABBIT, which turned into a staff writing gig at Jay Ward Prods. He wrote for ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS and THE BULLWINKLE SHOW, which is where dimwitted Canadian Mountie Dudley Do-Right got his start.

Headline News

Baby Huey Voice Actor Sid Raymond Dies

Actor/comedian Sid Raymond, the voice of Baby Huey and Katnip, died, reports THE NEW YORK TIMES. He was 97.

In addition to his lead characters for Famous Studios cartoons, his other cartoon work included: Little John in the Popeye cartoon ROBIN HOOD-WINKED, the Hungry Lion in PLEASED TO EAT YOU, Ali and the Third Thief in POPEYE MAKES A MOVIE, various Martians in POPEYE, THE ACE OF SPACE, Jerry Lewis in POPEYE'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY and the narrator in SPORTICKLES.

Headline News

Ojarumaru Creator Dies of Apparent Suicide

Creator of long-running Japanese children's cartoon series OJARUMARU, Rin Inumaru, has apparently committed suicide by jumping off the roof of a 14-story apartment building in Tokyo, various news sources have reported. Police have informed the press that Inumaru left suicide notes to her mother, expressing trouble with her work.

The 48-year-old cartoonist leapt from the roof on Sept. 10, 2006, landing on the roof of a five-story building below. She died of her injury shortly after the fall.

Headline News

Animator Jan Svochak Passes on at 80

Animator Jan Svochak died of lung cancer Sept. 6, 2006, in Florida at the age of 80. J. J. Sedelmaier (J.J. Sedelmaier Prods.) relates, "Most people know Jan's work from the years he put in on the Hawaiian Punch campaign. He was the head animator from the '60s up to the early '90s.

Disney Headline News

Animation Legend Ed Benedict Dies

Animation legend Ed Benedict passed away in his sleep on Aug. 28, 2006. He was 94.

In 1930, Benedict began his animation career at Disney, working on such shorts as THE CHINA PLATE and BLUE RHYTHM. Benedict left Disney and moved to Universal to work on Walter Lantzs OSWALD shorts, beginning with THE DIZZY DWARF. Universal would remain his home for most of the 1930s, minus short periods at the Charles Mintz Studio and the time he formed his own studio, Benedict-Brewer, with Jerry Brewer.

Headline News

Emmy-Nominated Voice-Actor Tony Jay Passes Away

Deep-voiced actor Tony Jay, whose many roles included villainous Judge Frollo in Disney's 1996 THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, died Sunday following microsurgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor from his lungs.

The British-born Jay, who provided voices in many videogames, was admitted to Cedar Sinai Hospital in April and had begun to recover both his breathing and mobility.

Headline News

VO Actor Peter Hawkins Passes Away

Peter Hawkins, a British actor who voiced characters that ranged from THE FLOWERPOT MEN to the sinister Daleks on DR. WHO, has died, reports various news outlets. He was 82.

Hawkins started as a stage actor after his World War II service in the Navy. After working in conventional roles on TV, he moved into voice over in the 1950s on the children's puppet shows THE FLOWERPOT MEN, which featured two creatures with legs made from flower pots.

Series Headline News

Voice Actor Lennie "Pufnstuf" Weinrib Dies at 71

Voice actor Lennie Weinrib, whose most famed role was as the title character in the 1969 live-action series, H.R. PUFNSTUF (which he also co-wrote), died June 28, 2006, at his home in Chile. He was 71 years old.

For his animation career, Weinrib provided the voice for Scooby's impetuous nephew Scrappy-Doo in SCOOBY-DOO AND SCRAPPY-DOO (1979) and THE SCOOBY AND SCRAPPY-DOO PUPPY HOUR (1982). He was also in the voice cast of the first Scooby series, SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU! (1969) and THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES (1972).

Animation Headline News

I&P Artist Suzi Dalton Passes Away at 95

Ink-and-paint artist Suzi Dalton died April 10, 2006, at the age of 95, The Animation Guild website reports. She received a Golden Award from The Animation Guild Local 839 in 1985, for her then 50 years in her craft.

From 1934, until her retirement in 1973, she worked as an inker, drybrush artist and final checker for numerous studios, including Boyd LaVero, Mintz, Warners, Iwerks, MGM, Betty Brenon, Lantz, Snowball, Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, Celine Miles, Bakshi-Krantz and Cannawest.

Animation Headline News

Assistant Animator Kimie Calvert Dies

Assistant animator Kimie Calvert, the wife of director and producer Fred Calvert, has passed away. The Animation Guild Local 839 just reported her passing, which was on Dec. 23, 2005.

With a career spanning from 1956 until 2003, Calvert worked for Filmfair, Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Fred Calvert, Rich Animation, Baer Animation, Warner Bros., Amblimation, Hyperion and Calvert-Cobbler.

She was an animator for the Disney feature THE TIGGER MOVIE (2000).

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