Beloved children’s author Judith Kerr has died at the age of 95 following a short illness, her publisher has announced.
The celebrated writer, who died at home this morning, wrote several enduring childhood classics including The Tiger Who Came To Tea and the Mog the Cat series.
She lived an extraordinary life, fleeing Germany in 1933 to escape the Nazis and coming to England, where she forged a successful career spanning 50 years.
Kerr worked well into her 90s, saying she even picked up the pace in old age, drawing inspiration from events in her own life.
Among those to pay their respects today was fellow children’s author and TV star David Walliams, who said ‘Judith is gone but her books will live on forever’.
The Tiger Who Came To Tea author Judith Kerr (pictured left with the book and right, at London Zoo where she received a lifetime achievement award in 2016) has died at the age of 95
Judith Kerr proudly holds her OBE medal after it was presented to her by the Prince of Wales during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2012
The celebrated writer (pictured as a young girl in 1929, left, and 1931, right) fled Germany in 1933 to escape the rise of the Nazis and came to England with her family
He tweeted: ‘She was a legendary author and illustrator, whose stories and illustrations gave pleasure to millions around the world, not least me and my son.’
The acclaimed writer’s first book was The Tiger Who Came to Tea, which has sold over five million copies and never been out of print.
Kerr’s next book introduced Mog the cat, who went on to star in over fifteen titles until Goodbye Mog in 2002.
Her third book, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, was an autobiographical retelling of her family’s escape from Germany in the 1930s, the first part of her acclaimed Out of the Hitler Time trilogy.
In 2015, her famous feline creation Mog returned in Sainsburys’ Christmas advert, which raising over £1 million for Save the Children’s literacy campaign.
The campaign saw her famous book top the charts for four weeks, making Kerr the oldest author to have a number one title.
In 2006, Kerr’s husband, Nigel Keane, passed away after more than 50 years of marriage and two children, Tracy and Matthew.
Her father, the German author Alfred Kerr, killed himself in 1948 at the age of 80 by taking pills procured by his wife after suffering a debilitating stroke.
In a statement, Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books, said: ‘It has been the greatest honour and privilege to know and publish Judith Kerr for over a decade, though of course her history with HarperCollins goes back over fifty years.
Kerr’s first book was The Tiger Who Came to Tea (left), which has sold over five million copies and never been out of print
The celebrated writer and illustrator pictured in Berlin in 2016, the city of her birth before she fled with her family to France and then England
‘She came to visit our offices frequently – always bringing her books in person; often arriving on the number 9 bus and leaving us all full of laughter and in awe of her astonishing zest for life and absolute commitment to delivering the very best books for children.’
Ms Murtagh said the author’s ‘incisive wit and dry humour made her both excellent company and a joy to publish.
‘My thoughts at this time are with her children, Matthew and Tacy, and her grandchildren.’
Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins, said: ‘Judith Kerr was a wonderful and inspiring person who was much loved by everyone at HarperCollins.
‘She was a brilliantly talented artist and storyteller who has left us an extraordinary body of work.
‘Always understated and very, very funny, Judith loved life and loved people – and particularly she loved a party.
‘Beautifully dressed and with a smile on her face she would light up the room and would always be one of the last to leave.
‘Time spent in her company was one of life’s great privileges and I am so grateful to have known her.’
The celebrated writer and illustrator (pictured in 2016, left and right), who was born in Berlin, fled Germany in 1933 to escape the rise of the Nazi party and came to England