Legendary The Flintstones animator Ed Benedict has died. He was 94. Benedict passed away in his sleep on August 28 at home in Auburn, California, his longtime friend and co-animator David K. Sheldon has just revealed.

Sheldon says, "He was quite an interesting fellow, that's for sure. He was the main character designer for all the early Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw."

But Benedict was most famous for designing the main characters in The Flintstones - Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, as well as their respective wives Wilma and Betty.

Cartoon historian Jerry Beck says, "It would not be an exaggeration to say that a large part of Hanna-Barbera's success in TV animation is owed to Benedict's incredibly appealing and fun character designs."

Before his death, Benedict requested his cremated ashes to be scattered over California's Carmel Bay.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)