'His books brought so much joy and inspired so many, touching, hilarious and heartbreaking work.'
Author-illustrator Raymond Briggs, best-known for his 1978 classic The Snowman, has died at the age of 88."We know that Raymond's books were loved by and touched millions of people around the world, who will be sad to hear this news," they said, in a statement on Wednesday.Listen: BBC Radio 4 profiles Raymond Briggs
Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Children's, said: "Raymond's books are picture masterpieces that address some of the fundamental questions of what it is to be human, speaking to both adults and children with a remarkable economy of words and illustrations." Briggs' original wordless children's picture book, The Snowman, finished the runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British writer.The TV film adaptation, which also received an Oscar nomination for best animated short film, told the story of a young boy, waking up after a heavy snowfall and building a large snowman who later magically comes to life.
It was first broadcast on Boxing Day 1982, Channel 4's inaugural year, and has been shown almost every Christmas since. The film, directed by Dianne Jackson and produced by John Coates, was wordless apart from the hit song taken from it, Howard Blake's Walking in the Air, sung by St Paul's Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty.Jones reacted to the news of Briggs' death on his Classic FM radio show on Wednesday, telling listeners: "What a legacy he leaves behind.
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