Thunderbirds Creator Gerry Anderson Dies

Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson has died at the age of 83.

His son Jamie said he died peacefully in his sleep at midday on Boxing Day in a nursing home, having suffered with mixed dementia for the past few years.

"We've been really, really touched by just the outpouring of gratitude for what Dad did for TV in this country," Jamie Anderson told Sky News.

Anderson also created Captain Scarlet, Stingray, Joe 90 and Space: 1999.

Nick Williams, the chairman of Fanderson - a Gerry Anderson appreciation society - said: "To those who met him Gerry was a quiet, unassuming but determined man.

"His desire to make the best films he could drove him and his talented teams to innovate, take risks, and do everything necessary to produce quite inspirational works.

"Gerry's legacy is that he inspired so many people and continues to bring so much joy to so many millions of people around the world."

Anderson was diagnosed with mixed dementia two years ago and his condition worsened over the past six months.

Having already decided with his family on a care home for himself earlier this year, he moved in there in October.

Until recently Anderson remained interested and involved in the film industry, keen to re-visit some of his earlier successes using the latest technology available.

His last producer credit came in 2005 on New Captain Scarlet, a CGI-animated re-imagining of his 1967 Supermarionation series, which premiered on ITV in the UK.

Most recently he worked as a consultant on a Hollywood remake of his 1969 series UFO, directed by Matthew Gratzner.

He also worked as a celebrity ambassador for The Alzheimer's Society, helping to raise awareness of the disease and funds for the society.

Anderson, who lived in Oxfordshire, leaves three children from former marriages, Joy, Linda and Gerry Junior, his son Jamie and widow Mary.

Fanderson is planning to pay a full tribute to him at the FAB 74 event next March.