Frederic Back, , RIP

Now with a scoop of Add On.

From the Times:

Frédéric Back, 89, who won two Oscars for his poignant animated short films, died Tuesday morning at home in Montreal, said his daughter, Suzel Back-Drapeau. The cause was cancer.

A beloved figure in the world of animation, Back was nominated for four Oscars over the course of his career. He was also a prolific artist and illustrator, getting his start in the graphics department of Radio-Canada's first-ever television station.

Back produced his first animation short, "Abracadabra" in 1970. Over the next decade he directed five more shorts, before making "Tout Rein," which was nominated for an Oscar for best animated short in 1981. ...

A long, rich life, creatively well-lived.

Add On: Charles Solomon remembers Frederic:

... I always imagined that St. Francis of Assisi must have been like Frederic: Gentle, patient, devoted to all the creatures of the Earth - but never saccharine, self-righteous or ostentatious. Although he was a strict vegetarian, it never would have occurred to Frederic to inconvenience anyone else by insisting on eating at a vegetarian restaurant. He found something that met his dietary standards on the menu, and said nothing about it. He would be equally quiet when he left the table and paid the bill before anyone realized he had gone. ...