Eric Carle Dead at 91: Beloved Children Books Author's Cause of Death Revealed

The American designer, illustrator, and author of children's books, self-titled "picture writer" Eric Carle died.

According to HuffPost, Carle who created the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," a tale that has charmed many generations of children and parents alike, reported that he passed away at the age of 91, Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton, Mass.

Eric Carle's Family Reveals Illustrator Father's Cause Of Death

According to the New York Times, Carle's son named Rolf that that the cause of the artist was kidney failure. As a remembrance to the artist and his works, a post on his website was shared to the public, "In the light of the moon, holding on to a good start, a painter of rainbows, is now traveling across the night sky." 

Mr. Carle's best-known book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," has reportedly sold more than 55 million copies around the world since 1969 on its very first time that it was published, even translated into more than 70 languages. This said book is one of more than 70 stories that Mr. Carle published all his life, selling more than 170 million copies, according to his publisher, Penguin Random House.

Back in 2003, he received the prestigious Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award from the American Library Association, where it recognizes authors and illustrators that have created huge contributions to children's literature up to this date.

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Eric Carle And His Remarkable Life As An Author For All Children

As it was mentioned in his website, Eric's career as a picture book illustrator began in 1967 when author Bill Martin Jr saw a medical advertisement in a medical journal for antihistamines with an illustration Eric had done of a big red lobster.

Later on, Martin invited him to illustrate "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" and this sparked Carle's interest in creating his own stories as he combines them with his artistic skills and experience in the field of printing.

"1, 2, 3 to the Zoo" was his first book ever published the same year as he gained interest in working in that field. Philomel Books published his book, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, and edited by whom Eric has always credited with the success of his early works, the late Ann Beneduce, proceeding to work for the next 50 years.

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