PARIS (AP)--Cecile de Brunhoff, the inspiration for Babar, the enchanting little
elephant whose adventures captivated generations of children, has died in Paris.
She was 99.
De Brunhoff suffered a stroke Saturday night and died Monday in a hospital
in Paris, where she lived, said Mathieu de Brunhoff, one of her sons.
She first invented the tale of a little elephant as a bedtime story for her
boys in 1931. They in turn told their father, painter Jean de Brunhoff, who
illustrated the story and filled in details, naming the elephant Babar and creating
Celeste, Zephir and the ``Old Lady,'' who takes care of young Babar after his
mother is killed.
Edit by DL: The original pic was the ugliest elephant I've ever seen and an insult to the real Babar :P
``For children, a story of an elephant who has so many adventures in such a
short time is really something that is so enchanting,'' the son, Mathieu, said
Tuesday by telephone.
``With the paintings of my father, paintings that were so marvelous, it was
a great combination,'' he said.
Before ``The Story of Babar'' was published, Cecile de Brunhoff insisted that
her name be removed from the book because she thought her role too minor, according
to publishers Harry N. Abrams Inc.
``She was very modest,'' said Mathieu.
A pianist, she was a graduate of the prestigious Paris music college, the Ecole
Normale de Musique.
Jean de Brunhoff died of tuberculosis in 1937, aged 37. His eldest son, Laurent,
carried on Babar's adventures, completing two books unfinished by his father
and eventually devoting himself full-time to Babar, publishing dozens of books
of his own.
Cecile de Brunhoff, who was born Oct. 16, 1903, and did not remarry after her
husband's death, is survived by her three sons, four grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren, said Mathieu. He said the family would hold a private funeral
outside of Paris.
AP-NY-04-08-03 0556EDT
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