At the age of 72, animation legend Janice Burgess passed away.
Many people have paid tribute to the screenwriter, who was best known for creating the Nickelodeon show The Backyardigans.
Writer and producer Fracaswell Hyman praised Burgess’s biting wit.
“I met Janice Burgess early in my career when I was head writer on Gullah Gullah Island and she was assigned to be our Executive in Charge of Production,” he said on Instagram.
“This is the person the network sends to the set to shield the cash from waste.”
„Janice walked in with her sharp tongue, long Hermes scarves, and endless supply of cigarettes.
As an overseer, she turned into a friend.
“She recognized my magic before I did and made sure I was in the room and under consideration for many of the shows that came my way including Little Bill and Taina.”
According to Hyman, Burgess’s comments on the stories were smart, clear, and helpful.
He informed that he would miss his good friend.
Burgess’s death has not yet been officially ruled out.
She died just a few days after turning 72.
Tennessee native Burgess started working for Nickelodeon in 1995 as the executive in charge of production. She also worked as a story editor on the adventure show Winx Club in 2004.
In an interview with Nickelodeon, she said that the Backyardigans came from her childhood memories of her backyard.
She made fun of the fact that she and her friends would play hide-and-seek and pretend they were chasing wild animals.
Many fans quickly posted their own tributes to Burgess.
“She invented the Backyardigans?” I was a kid at the time. One viewer said, “I loved her so much.”
“The Backyardigans was – and still is – one of my most remarkable memories from my childhood… this is a huge loss,” a grieving person wrote.
“She had a huge impact in [sic] my life.”
Thanks Janice for making The Backyardigans and Gullah Gullah Island and being a part of our childhoods. We’ll all miss you so much! A third fan told them to “fly high!”