Joseph Roland “Joe” Barbera died December 18th, 2006. He was one of the founders of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon production company (with William Denby “Bill” Hanna, 1910-2001).
Together they produced Tom and Jerry (while still at MGM), the Flintstones, Top Cat, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, the Harlem Globetrotters, the Smurfs, and Dexter’s Laboratory.