It's a sad day in Toontown, and the Laff-a-Lympics flag is flying at half-staff.
William Hanna, the man who cofounded legendary animation studio Hanna-Barbera and helped create some of the world's most recognizable cartoons, including Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones, Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo, has died. He was 90.
Hanna, who partnered with Joseph Barbera in 1957 and produced more than 3,000 animated half-hour shows for their company, died Thursday afternoon at his home in North Hollywood with his wife and family at his side, according to a Warner Bros. spokesman.
Though his exact cause of death was not known, Hanna had been in failing health for some time.
From Quick Draw McGraw and Auggie Doggie to Boo Boo Bear and George Jetson, Hanna-Barbera changed the face of TV 'toons starting in the late '50s and early '60s. In 1937, Hanna was hired by MGM, where he first met Barbera and began a partnership that lasted more than 60 years.
Hanna was born in Melrose, New Mexico, on July 14, 1910, and initially trained to be an engineer. He began his cartooning career during the Depression, with a job in the ink and paint department of Harman-Ising Studios.
When he jumped to MGM, he and Barbera helped usher in a new era in animation--winning seven Oscars for their Tom and Jerry animated shorts and being among the first to mix live-action and animation. Tom and Jerry appeared alongside Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh and Invitation to the Dance, and with Esther Williams in Dangerous When Wet.
When MGM's animation studio shut down, Hanna and Barbera launched their own production company. The pair's first TV stars were Ruff and Reddy, followed in 1958 by their drawling li'l doggy Huckleberry Hound--which became the first cartoon to win an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming.
As Hanna-Barbera began streamlining animation for TV, Huckleberry would eventually be followed by The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Hong Kong Phooey, the Great Grape Ape, Josie and the Pussycats (the movie version starring Rachel Leigh Cook and Tara Reid comes out next month) and Scooby-Doo (which is getting the big-screen treatment this summer with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar), among others. Hanna-Barbera has been owned by Warner Bros. since 1996.
News of Hanna's death left 'toon lovers in mourning Thursday. "Bill was a cartoon scientist and a genius at timing," said Betty Cohen, president of the Cartoon Network. "The cartoons of Hanna-Barbera have influenced and entertained generations of kids and adults and will serve as a legacy to his talent."
Hanna is survived by his wife of 65 years, Violet, as well as two children and seven grandchildren.
For more information about Hanna, the Cartoon Network's Website features a full photo gallery with shots from Hanna-Barbera's heyday, including Hanna's own office.
The passing comes just one day after Norma Macmillan, the voice of TV characters such as Casper the Friendly Ghost and Gumby, died of a heart attack Wednesday at the age of 79.
Macmillan, who also lent her voice to Sweet Polly Purebread on the Underdog series, was born in Vancouver and began her career as a stage actress. She and her husband moved to New York in the 1950s, where she landed the role as Casper for Paramount Famous Studios.
Macmillan is survived by her husband, Thor Arngrim, and two children.