WILBERT Vere Awdry, creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and other tales, died yesterday at home in Gloucestershire. He was aged 86.
Awdry, who created the books about the little blue engine and friends in 1943, retired after selling some 10 million copies. His place was then taken by his son Christopher.
Awdry became an author by making up tales for his young son, whom he was trying to entertain through a bout of measles. When his wife noticed the stories written on the backs of circulars, she sent them to a literary agent. By 1945 the stories were a runaway success.
He had been ill for several months and bed-ridden for some time. Mr Awdry, a widower, leaves three children and seven grandchildren.
The Britt Allcroft Company, which licences more than 2,000 Thomas products in 20 countries worldwide, recorded a turnover of £5.05 million in the six months to December 1996. The most popular products include toys, clothing, food and furniture, and a 104-episode-strong range of videos.
US pop legend Phil Spector (57) yesterday won his legal battle over the UK copyright to the music and lyrics of the 1950s classic To know Him is to Love Him.
The High Court in London ruled that copyright belonged to his US-based company, Mother Bertha Music Inc, and that UK-based Bourne Music Ltd had no rights to the copyright after the end of December 1986.
The author and literary critic Sir Victor Pritchett died yesterday. He was aged 96.
V S Pritchett - as he was known - was principally a writer of short stories, the first of which appeared in the New Statesman in the 1920s.
His most notable works included Make Your Own Life (1938), When My Girl Comes Home (1961) and The Camberwell Beauty (1971).