Jules Bass has died (Picture: REX)
TV producer Jules Bass has died at the age of 87, it has been confirmed.
Bass – a director, producer and animator – was best known for his work on Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snowman and other Christmas classics.
His publicist, Jennifer Fisherman Ruff, announced that Bass died on Tuesday at an assisted living facility.
A cause of death was not given.
Bass teamed up with creative partner Arthur Rankin Jr to produce Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, which debuted in 1964 with Burl Ives and Billie Mae Richards voicing the characters.
Frosty The Snowman followed five years later starring Jackie Vernon, Billy De Wolfe, and Jimmy Durante, while Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town first aired in 1970, with Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney on the bill.
With Rankin, Bass worked on several other stop motion productions including The Little Drummer Boy, Pinocchio’s Christmas and Mad Monster Party.
The pair earned an Emmy nominations for The Little Drummer Boy Book II in 1977 before winning a Peabody award for their adaptation of The Hobbit.
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Bass was best known for his work on Christmas classics.
