LOS ANGELES, Dec 19: Joseph Barbera, the man who helped create some of the world's best-loved cartoon characters including Tom and Jerry, Fred Flintstone and Yogi Bear, died on Monday aged 95, friends and family said.

Barbera, who with William Hanna formed the legendary Hanna-Barbera animation company that became synonymous with cartoons throughout the 20th century, passed away at his home in Los Angeles, representatives said.

“Joe Barbera truly was an animation and television legend,” said Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive officer of Warner Bros.

“From the Stone Age to the Space Age and from primetime to Saturday mornings, syndication and cable, the characters he created with his late partner, William Hanna, are not only animated superstars, but also a very beloved part of American pop culture.“While he will be missed by his family and friends, Joe will live on through his work,” Meyer said.

The two men first collaborated in 1937 at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where they created the cat and mouse best of enemies, Tom and Jerry.

Hanna directed and Barbera drew, going on to win seven Academy Awards for short films involving the protagonists. Hanna-Barbera was founded in 1957, fuelled by the advent of television. The company produced more than 300 cartoons.

Among the titles the company produced were “Huckleberry Hound”, “The Flintstones”, first aired in 1960, and “Yogi Bear” the following year.

“Johnny Quest”, “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?”, “The Banana Splits,” “The Harlem Globetrotters,” “The Jetsons” and “The Smurfs” were later hits.—AFP