Acclaimed Pink Panther animator dies at his home in Bristol

Richard Williams, the animator behind hit Hollywood films Roger Rabbit and the Pink Panther, has died at his home in Bristol.

The 86-year-old triple Oscar and triple Bafta winner, who was born in Toronto, Canada and moved to Britain in the 1950s, died at his home in St Andrews, Bristol, on Friday (16 August).

His daughter said he'd been suffering from cancer:

He really was an inspiration to everyone that met him. Whether they were animators, or from the top to the bottom of society. An incredibly generous, warm-spirited person who really wanted to learn about the world.

Williams was the animation director on the 1988 blockbuster Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He won a Bafta as well as two Oscars for the film - one in the special academy award category and one for special effects.

He told the BBC in 2008:

I always wanted, when I was a kid, to get to Disney. I was a clever little fellow so I took my drawings and I eventually got in.

His second studio was at Bristol-based Aardman Animations - the home of Wallace and Gromit.