Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond dies aged 91
Michael Bond, the creator of the much-loved fictional character Paddington Bear, has died.
British children’s writer Michael Bond, the creator of the much-loved fictional character Paddington Bear, has died at the age of 91, his publisher HarperCollins said last night.
Bond’s famous series about a friendly teddy bear from Peru sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and was turned into a blockbuster film in 2014.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that Michael Bond, CBE, the creator of one of Britain’s best-loved children’s characters, Paddington, died at home (on Tuesday) aged 91 following a short illness,” the publisher said.
HarperCollins CEO Charlie Redmayne said: “Michael Bond was one of the great children’s writers and at HarperCollins we are immensely fortunate to have published him and to have known him. He was a wonderful man and leaves behind one of the great literary legacies of our time.”
Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books, said the duffel-coated, Wellington boot-wearing bear “touched my own heart as a child and will live on in the hearts of future generations”.
“He was a true gentleman, a bon viveur, the most entertaining company and the most enchanting of writers,” she said of Bond.
The inspiration for the character came on Christmas Eve 1956 when Bond, a writer and BBC cameraman, saw a lonely-looking teddy bear in a shop near his home close to Paddington station and bought it for his wife.
In the books, the impeccably polite stowaway turns up at the station with a battered suitcase containing a nearly finished jar of marmalade, and a label on his blue duffel coat reading: “Please look after this bear. Thank you.”
Bond wrote 150 books, with 25 additional books about Paddington following his first effort. He brought out a new story, Love from Paddington, on December 23, 2014.
The book is in the form of letters written to Paddington’s aunt Lucy, back in Peru, telling her about his new life in London.
Bond had said he wanted the trail to end when he passed away, telling The Times in 2014 that he was taking legal action to prevent sequels after his death
AFP, PA
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