Gerry Anderson, 'Thunderbirds' puppetry pioneer

LONDON -- Gerry Anderson, puppetry pioneer and British creator of the sci-fi hit "Thunderbirds" TV show, has died. He was 83.

Anderson's son Jamie said his father died in his sleep on Wednesday at a nursing home near Oxfordshire, England, after being diagnosed with mixed dementia two years ago.

Anderson's television career launched in the 1950s. Once "Thunderbirds" aired in the 1960s, "Thunderbirds are go!" became a catchphrase for generations. It also introduced the use of "supermarionation" -- a puppetry technique using thin wires to control marionettes -- and made sci-fi mainstream, according to Jamie Anderson.

"He forever changed the direction of sci-fi entertainment," Anderson said. "Lots of animation and films that have been made in the past 20 or 30 years have been inspired by the work that he did."

He said the TV show was perhaps his father's proudest achievement -- along with the cross-generational appeal of his body of work, which also included TV shows "Fireball XL5," "Stingray" and "Space: 1999," among others.

He noted that his father first broke ground with puppets in "Thunderbirds," but was trying new techniques, like advanced computer-generated imagery, into his later years with projects such as 2005's "New Captain Scarlet," the reimagining of his 1967 TV animation.

Anderson also worked as a consultant on a Hollywood remake of his 1969 series "UFO."

In recent years, Anderson and his son had become active supporters of Britain's Alzheimer's Society. Anderson is survived by his wife, Mary, and four children.-- AP