What Was Jules Bass' Cause of Death? Beloved Producer of Holiday Classic Flicks Dead at 87
Director/producer Jules Bass, who famously helmed notable animated television specials, has died. He was 87.
Bass' publicist, Jennifer Fisherman Ruff, first confirmed the news in a statement to several news outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter. She revealed that the producer died on Tuesday at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York.
Deadline noted that he died of age-related illnesses but did not disclose what exactly those conditions were.
Details about Bass' memorial and funeral are not made available to the public. But it was confirmed that he left no survivors after his last family member, his daughter Jean Nicole Bass, died in January at the age of 61.
Fans and colleagues shared their outpouring messages to the late producer and thanked him for completing their childhood and adulthood with his creations.
One said, "Not only was Jules Bass influential in bringing Frosty and Rudolph to the small screen, but he also co-produced some of my favorite Halloween specials, not to mention the amazing Thundercats show. Endless appreciation for all inspiration. R.I.P."
R.I.P. Jules Bass, a legendary producer-director of stop-motion and hand-drawn animation. Besides his perennial Christmas specials , I’ll always treasure Mad Monster Party?, The Hobbit, and The Last Unicorn. Thank you for sharing your dreams, Jules. pic.twitter.com/WYBbzxGGd0
— Friedkin February (@LazlosGhost) October 25, 2022
Jules Bass' Legacy Remembered
Born in Philadelphia, Bass worked at an advertising agency after attending New York University for college. He then worked for Videocraft International with director Arthur Rankin Jr. before it became Rankin/Bass Productions.
Through the label, the duo made it known for stop-motion films that turned into full-length flicks in the past decades.
In 1960, Bass and Rankin released their first production TV series, "The New Adventures of Pinocchio." It gave way to them to create "Th Little Drummer Boy Book II" which scored an Emmy nomination for outstanding children's special. They added more recognitions under their belt with "The Hobbit" (Peabody) and "The Return of the King" (Tolkien).
The duo co-directed the film "The Last Unicorn" in 1982.
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But among Bass' works, his stop-motion holiday TV specials made him more notable. The list included "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
Before Rankin died, he showered Bass with compliments as he recalled the time they worked together in an interview.
"We sort of complemented each other. He had certain talents that I didn't have, and I had certain talents that he didn't have. I was basically an artist and a creator; he was a creator and a writer and a lyricist," Rankin said in 2005.
After Bass left the directing and producing gigs, he focused on writing children's books.
