Michael Bond has passed away at age 91.
The creator of Paddington Bear died following a short illness on the last day of shooting for an upcoming film based around his book series. Here are eight things to remember Bond by:
- He is a giant of children’s literature, with his Paddington Bear series selling more than 35 million copies around the world.
- The British author served in World War II for Great Britain. Bond survived an air raid in Reading where the building he was in collapsed under him.
- His work for children’s literature earned him the title of being an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997 and Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2015.
- Another one of Bond’s popular book series followed Olga de Polga, a guinea pig named after a family pet.
- His first Paddington Bear book was called A Bear Called Paddington, following the journey of a small, orphaned bear traveling from the UK to Peru. It was published in 1958.
- He sold his first story while stationed in Cairo, as the London Opinion bought the short story for seven guinea pigs.
- The writer wasn’t always a writer as he served as a BBC cameraman for nearly a decade before deciding to become a full-time writer in 1965.
- Bond was married with two children and four grandchildren at the time of his death.
RIP.
