Laurent de Brunhoff, the successor to Babar and also an author, has died at 98.
The French native continued the legacy of Babar the elephant, taking over from his father Jean de Brunhoff who died when he was only 12 years old.
By the time de Brunhoff grew older, his father had already published four Babar books. De Brunhoff revived the series with popular children's stories such as Babar at the Circus and Babar’s Guide to Paris. Paris.
He relocated to the United States. United States from France He passed away on Friday at his residence in Key West, Florida.
His widow, author Phyllis Rose, confirmed the news of his death from complications of a stroke, reported by The New York Times.
Rose had contributed significantly to the writing of the final Babar books.
Jean released the initial Babar book in 1931, completing four more before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 37.
However, it was De Brunhoff’s mother who originated the concept of Babar, which she called Bebe (baby) elephant.
In 2014, he told National Geographic that his mother recounted a tale of a baby elephant who ventured to the city, inspiring them to share it with their father. He found it very amusing and began to draw.
‘It was my father who changed the name to Babar. But the first pages of the first book, with the elephant killed by a hunter and the escape to the city, was her story.
After World War II, De Brunhoff, who worked as a painter, decided to continue the series for his father, and it achieved worldwide recognition, leading to children’s TV shows and movies.
The series concluded in 2017 with Babar’s Guide To Paris.
It came to an end in 2017 with Babar’s Guide To Paris.
