RIP Thomas Michael Bond, CBE (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was a British author. He is best known for writing the Paddington Bear series featuring the eponymous character. More than 35 million Paddington books have sold around the world and the characters have also featured in film and on television. His first book was published in 1958 and his last in 2017, a span of 59 years. Bond was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours.