Just got the sad news today that Gerry Anderson, the creator of the Thunderbirds, UFO, Space: 1999, Supercar and Fireball XL5 passed away in his sleep at the age of 83. In 2010 it was announced that he had Alzheimer's disease and that his condition worsened in recent months.
Thunderbirds was such a special childhood memory for me as I loved watching VHS copies of the series when I was a young boy. It wasn't only me, but also my other brothers. Photo essay of Gerry Anderson's work by the BBC can be found here.
Fast forward to the present day, a friend lent me his DVD of the complete Thunderbirds series and it was total bliss again for me, being able to reconnect with those old episodes. Even bought a Thunderbird 2 off of ebay because of it. With that DVD, I was able to introduce the Thunderbirds to my son and he too was hooked.
So long Mr. Anderson, I pray that you Rest in Peace and I Thank You for making my childhood a whole lot happier with your creations.
