Vincent Cafarelli, a New York animation mainstay for more almost 60 years, died of natural causes in Brooklyn on December 1, 2011. He was 81.

Starting out as a teenager, Cafarelli worked as an assistant animator at Paramount's Famous Studios on characters like Popeye and Baby Huey. He would go on to become a director-animator at almost every major studio in Manhattan.

He worked on a number of ad campaigns for characters like the Berenstein Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. Other commercials include Tip Top Bread and Piel's Beer.

His television series credits included The Berenstain Bears, Teen Wolf, A Little Curious and Sheep in the Big City.

He teamed with Candy Kugel to become Buzzco Prods in 1981, where they would animate independent shorts that ran on the festival circuit and currently rest in the film collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

He is survived by his wife, Francisca, his daughter, and five grandchildren.