At the age of 94, legendary animator Ed Benedict died in his sleep on August 8, in his Auburn home of Nothern California. The news was confirmed on Tuesday by Benedict’s longtime friend and fellow animator David K. Sheldon. Early in his career, Benedict set up shop at MGM and Universal, with both studios allowing him to work under another animation legend, Tex Avery. At MGM, Benedict served as lead layout artist and designer for Deputy Droopy. That title was just one of the several popular animated theatrical short films with which he was involved.

It was not until the late 1950s that Benedict joined the Hanna-Barbera TV animation studio. There, he helped design the characters for the studio’s first series, The Ruff & Reddy Show (1957). Afterward, the animator lent his talent toward The Flintstones (1960), designing not only Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty, but also crafting the look for the Stone Age houses and gadgets. Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and Quick Draw McGraw – these are just some of the other cartoon characters who found their faces through Benedict. “It would not be an exaggeration to say that a large part of H-B’s success in TV animation is owed to Benedict’s incredibly appealing and fun character designs,” wrote cartoon historian Jerry Beck at his website, Cartoon Brew. Benedict also collaborated with Woody Woodpecker creator Walter Lantz for numerous shorts, including The Dizzy Dwarf and Unpopular Mechanic.

Preceded in death by his wife, Alice, Benedict’s wish was for his ashes to be scattered over California’s Carmel Bay. For more information regarding the life and career of Ed Benedict, please visit ABC News, Animation Blast, The Internet Movie Database and Wikipedia.