Legendary American illustrator Gene Deitch, best known for directing popular cartoon shows like Tom And Jerry and Popeye on television died in Prague on April 16.
As per reports, the 95-year-old animator died in his apartment in Prague’s Little Quarter on Thursday night.
He directed 13 episodes of Tom And Jerry for MGM between 1961 to 1962 and also directed a few episodes of Popeye for King Features between 1960 and 1963.
Deitch was also well known for creation of characters such as Sidney the Elephantured Gaston Le Crayon, Tom Terrific and Clint Clobber.
His animated short Munrowon an Oscar award for the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 1961 and was also nominated for the same award twice in 1964 for Here’s Nudnik and How to Avoid Friendship.
Born on August 8 ,1924 in Chicago, Deitch had initially trained as a pilot but later became associated with studios such as United Productions of America (UPA) and Terrytoons.
In 1958, Deitchstarted his own studio in New York called Gene Deitch Associates which primarily produced TV commercials.
In 2004, he received the Winsor McCay Award for his lifelong contribution to animation.
Deitch is survived by his wife and by three sons from his first marriage, all of whom are cartoonists and illustrators.
Meanwhile, tributes were poured on Deitch on social media with many users thanking him for making their childhood memories wonderful with his iconic cartoon show Tom and Jerry.