Dai Tielang, the famed creator of one of China’s oldest and most beloved cartoons, died Wednesday at the age of 89.

The Shanghai Animation Film Studio — where Dai worked as a designer, director, and screenwriter for more than 30 productions — said in a tribute post on microblogging platform Weibo that his works were “full of imagination” and had helped create “beautiful childhood memories for generations upon generations” of fans. Dai is best-known for directing the “Black Cat Detective” cartoon series, which aired from 1984 to 1987.

Born in Singapore in 1930 to parents from Guangdong, Dai moved to China in 1940 and graduated from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in 1953. He then worked with both the Shanghai Film Studio and the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, and is associated with several productions such as “Where Is Mama?” and the award-winning “A Deer of Nine Colors,” which he also directed. (Images: @上海美术电影制片厂 on Weibo and VCG)