Author Michael Bond, the creator of the iconic Paddington bear, has died after a short illness. He was 91. 

Announcing the writer's passing, Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher at HarperCollins Children's Books, said: "I feel privileged to have been Michael Bond's publisher - he was a true gentleman, a bon viveur, the most entertaining company and the most enchanting of writers."

Master at work - Michael Bond wrote 150 books

"He will be forever remembered for his creation of the iconic Paddington, with his duffle coat and Wellington boots, which touched my own heart as a child and will live on in the hearts of future generations," Murtagh continued.

"My thoughts and love are with his wife, Sue, and his children Karen and Anthony."

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A World War II veteran, Bond created Paddington while working as a BBC camera operator in 1956 with the marmalade-loving Peruvian misfit's first story, A Bear Called Paddington, reaching shelves two years later. A further 25 (mis)adventures followed.

Speaking to the Press Association in 2014 about how Paddington had come to life, Bond said he had his light bulb moment while looking for a small gift for his wife's Christmas stocking on London's Oxford Street on Christmas Eve.

"There's something about a bear - you feel you can tell it your secrets and it won't give them away"

"There was this one bear sitting on the shelf and I felt sorry for him," he said. 

"Someone once said, 'A doll's always wondering what they're going to wear next, but there's something about a bear - you feel you can tell it your secrets and it won't give them away'."

In total, Bond wrote 150 books in his lengthy career, including adult detective novels and a guide to Paris. 

Paddington reached the big screen with Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville as his sidekick in 2014

But it will be for his duffle coat-wearing hero that he will be best remembered. Paddington became a stalwart of British television with his own animated BBC series in 1975 and made it to the big screen in a 2014 box office hit with Ben Whishaw voicing the titular hero.

The sequel, Paddington 2, which stars Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, will be released in cinemas on November 10.

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Fans have been paying tribute on social media: