Cancer

‘Llama Llama' Author Anna Dewdney Dies of Cancer and Leaves Fans With Final Wish

"As we grieve, we also celebrate Anna's life, in dedicating ourselves to carrying forward her mission of putting books into as many little hands as possible"

Anna Dewdney, the popular author and illustrator of the "Llama Llama" children's books — featuring a little llama famous for his red pajamas and being mad at his mother, has died. 

Dewdney, 50, passed away at her home in Vermont on Sept. 3 after a 15-month fight against brain cancer, Publisher's Weekly reported in an obituary for the author. She left behind two daughters and a partner, Reed Duncan.

"The entire Penguin Young Readers family is heartbroken. And as we grieve, we also celebrate Anna's life, in dedicating ourselves to carrying forward her mission of putting books into as many little hands as possible," Penguin Young Readers president Jen Loja said in a news release.

Dewdney had one last request of fans, according to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. To replace a funeral service, Dewdney asked that friends and fans read a book to a child instead.

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