Creator of Paddington bear, Michael Bond dies aged 91

Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington bear who has died at home at 91 after a short illness, revealed in one of his last interviews that he hoped the bear 'might come with me' when he passed away.

The author lived in the Little Venice area of West London, near Paddington train station which inspired his famous character, with his 74-year-old wife Sue.

The writer became a beloved giant of children's literature after his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in 1958 about the bear from Peru who wears a blue coat and loves marmalade.

In one of his last interviews, Bond told the Daily Mirror two months ago: 'I don't worry about death. I sort of feel it's good to get to 91 and I can't complain.

'And I hope Paddington might come with me, ­wherever we go. Up or down. It wouldn't be kind to tell Paddington to come with me if I was going down.'

English author Bond wrote 150 books in total, with 25 additional books about Paddington following his first effort. 

Paddington star Hugh Bonneville said it was 'poignant' to learn of the much-loved author's death on the final day shooting the new movie about the 'lovable creation'.

In another publication in April, he said: 'Paddington sees things very straight and very simply. If you think about how he would react, it's probably the right way.'

In that interview in the New Statesman, Bond told how he was still working seven days a week from 9am but finished in time to watch Flog It! on BBC1 at 4.30pm. 

The author first came up with the idea for the small bear from Peru in 1956 while working as a BBC TV cameraman.

The idea led him to become known as one of the great children's writers of his time, his books having been on shelves ever since the first one was published. 

As well as Paddington, Bond also wrote a children's TV series called The Herbs and a series of books about a guinea pig called Olga da Polga - inspired by his own pet.

He also wrote a string of novels for adults about a French detective called Monsieur Pamplemousse and various other titles including a guide to Paris. 

More than 35 million Paddington books were sold worldwide and went on to inspire toys, TV shows and most recently a film along with a second movie out in November.

Bond's final Paddington novel, Paddington's Finest Hour, was published in April. 

In 2014, Bond told how once on Christmas Eve he had found himself on Oxford Street looking for a small gift for his wife's Christmas stocking.

Snow had started to fall and he found himself outside Selfridges. 'There was this one bear sitting on the shelf and I felt sorry for him,' he recalled.

'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'.'