Creator of kids’ favourite Paddington Bear, Michael Bond dies aged 91

Michael Bond, the creator of famous literary character Paddington Bear, has died at age 91.

Michael Bond, the creator of children’s literary character Paddington Bear, died on Tuesday aged 91 following a short illness, publisher HarperCollins said.

Bond created the character in 1958.

First appearing in the 1958 story A Bear Called Paddington, the character was named after the London railway station where he was found, having arrived from “deepest, darkest Peru” according to Bond’s famous description.

The bear was wearing a tag around his neck that read “Please look after this bear”.

He has been enjoyed by generations of children, with more than 35 million books sold, the publisher said on Wednesday.

A still from the film.

Paddington, a film based on the character, was released in 2014 to critical and commercial success.

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