The man who brought Pingu to life has died at the age of 85m, it has been confirmed.
Renowned voice actor Carlo Bonomi died on Saturday, 6 August, in his home country of Italy.
The star was best-known for voicing Pingu – and the little penguin’s entire family – in the early seasons of the children’s claymation show.
In a statement to Metro.co.uk, translated from Italian, his friend and former co-worker Franco Cavani said: ‘I remember him with pleasure for his humanity and his great professionalism. ‘
Cavani, who had worked with Bonomi on commercials for two decades between the 1970s and 1990s, added that ‘you were always playing it safe with him around.’
He recalled how Bonomi was always able to perfect his lines in one take, and paid tribute to his professionalism.
‘He used to bring to the recording studio a breath of joy and humour, dragging everyone present into something like a creative happening.’
Cavani described his old friend as ‘a great professional, in his own way, unique and inimitable.’
Between the years of 1990 and 2000, when Pingu first aired on Swiss network SF DRS, Bonomi developed the iconic Penguinese language which carried on for decades after, even as Pingu was voiced by other actors.
He also voiced many of the characters for Italian show Carosello and La Linea until 1986, as well as cartoon series Stripy which also aired in the 1980s.
Bonomi also helped translate popular US cartoons into the Italian language, and had previously voiced the likes of iconic characters Mickey Mouse and Fred Flintstone for Italian TV.
As well as voice acting, Bonomi worked as a clown in his home country, and reportedly recorded the railway announcements for Milan’s central railway station.
His voice announcements are believed to have remained in use in the station until 2008.
News of Bomini’s death first emerged on Saturday, with fans paying tribute to the actor on Twitter.
The beloved star leaves behind a daughter, Paola, who reportedly followed in her father’s footsteps and also works as a voice actor.
