Ken Spears, co-creator of Scooby-Doo, passes away aged 82 from complications of dementia

Ken Spears, co-creator of the beloved animated series Scooby-Doo, passed away on Friday, 6 November. He was 82. Spears, a four-time Daytime Emmy nominee, died in Brea, California, of complications from Lewy body dementia, his son, Kevin, told The Hollywood Reporter. Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, said in a statement to convey his condolences on Spear’s passing. The statement read, “He was a true innovator in the industry whose gifts of humour and storytelling continue to delight audiences,” before going on to add that one cannot find a screen in the world that has not played a version of Scooby-Doo and that they continue to be inspired by his work at Warner Bros. Animation and are honoured to carry on the legacy of his characters. The news of Spears’ passing comes three months after his long-time creative partner  Joe Ruby died on 26 August. Ruby, who was a co-creator of the series, met Spears while working as sound editors at the Hanna-Barbera productions. The two went on to create the popular series revolving around the talking Great Dane Scooby and his human friends Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred. The show premiered on CBS in 1969 and four of the first 25 episodes were written and story-edited by the duo. The official Sooby Doo Instagram account also shared a tribute to Spears which features an animation of Scooby and his gang.