How Did Ian Falconer Die?

By Rahul Gupta On Mar 15, 2023

Ian Falconer had a lot of success when his Olivia books, which were about a smart piglet named Olivia who has a creative mind, became well-known among kids.

In 1996, the author made Olivia for his young niece. His family and close friends liked the character so much that they asked him to keep writing about her.

But at first, Ian didn’t want to do it. He turned down publishers who wanted the text to be written by someone else because he was afraid that his pride wouldn’t let him just be an illustrator.

The author also said that he thought his instincts about the story were right, even if it wasn’t perfect, and that what happened next with the pictures just made sense. The first book in the series came out in 2000 and was called Olivia. The book was a huge success, staying at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for more than a year. It also won the Caldecott Honor and sold 10 million copies.

After the success of the first book, seven more were written. The last one, Olivia the Spy, came out in 2017. Ian also put out a new book for kids called Two Dogs last year. He said that the two dachshunds in the book, Perry and Augie, were based on his nephews. Let’s find out what happened to Ian Falconer.

How Did Ian Falconer Die?

Ian Falconer’s death was a natural one. Conrad M. Rippy, who is the author’s lawyer and agent, also confirmed the terrible news. He died while he was in Norwalk with his family. He was 63 at the time.

The author’s two sisters, Tonia Falconer Barringer and Tory Falconer Crane, are still alive. When the author was 25, Bruce Falconer, Ian’s father, died. Everyone in the world of books is sad about the death of the talented author and illustrator.

The Olivia Series

When asked about his popularity among children, Ian said that if he had to say one thing, it would be not to underestimate one’s audience because children will figure things out because that’s what they do best, which is make sense of the world.

Ian made Olivia, his 3-year-old niece, a piglet-themed book for Christmas in 1996, and the rest is history.

In 1998, Anne Schwartz of Simon & Schuster was looking for an illustrator for a book, and that’s how she got in touch with Mr. Falconer, who was already known for his clever New Yorker covers. Even though Ian didn’t want to do the assignment at first, he still showed Anne the book he had made for his niece.

When asked why he chose the pig, the author said that because piglets’ heads are bigger than their bodies, they seem like the right shape for little kids.

The author said that his character was strong because the real Olivia could argue, stonewall, and even bulldoze or filibuster her way through any problem to get what she wanted, and she could do this in the nicest way.

Read More:

Ian Falconer Talks About Olivia’s Success!

Since Ian Falconer’s Olivia series was so popular, the big kids’ network Nickelodeon decided to turn Olivia into an animated TV show in 2009. In an earlier interview, the show’s creator, Ian Falconer, said that he was surprised by how well the show did.

The author said it’s a little embarrassing because he worked so hard to paint and draw for so many years, and now people will remember him for this pig. He also said that there are worse things that can happen to someone.