Gene Deitch, the Oscar award winning cartoonist and director of the famous Tom and Jerry animated series, has died at the age of 95.
According to reports, he was found dead at his apartment in Prague on 16 April, 2020.
Best known for his work on the Tom and Jerry animated series which he directed 13 episodes, Deitch was also known for his work on the Popeye sailor series which was quite famous.
He received the Winsor McCay Award for his life long contribution to animation in 2004.
Fans and colleagues have been paying tribute to him on social media, to say “Thank you for making childhood so fun and awesome. They believe, future generations will be loving the show because there’s not a single person present who didn’t like watching the iconic ‘Tom and Jerry’ and Popeye Cartoons.”
Gene Deitch was born in 1924 in Chicago but arrived Prague in 1959 where he met his wife Zdenka.
He belongs to a family of cartoonists and illustrators, as his wife Zdenka and three sons from his first marriage are all in the same industry.
