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Dick Bruna, the children's author and artist who created the cartoon white rabbit Miffy, has died aged 89.

Bruna, who sold more than 80 million Miffy books, died in his sleep last night in his hometown of Utrecht, his publisher said in a statement.

Bruna created the character to entertain his infant son after seeing a rabbit in the dunes while on a seaside holiday.

He went on to relate the giant-eared, orange-pullovered bunny's adventures in dozens of books sold worldwide.

Born in 1929 into a family of publishers, Bruna began his career as an illustrator of covers for books including Ian Fleming's James Bond series and the Inspector Maigret thrillers of Georges Simenon.

Miffy, known as Nijntje in Dutch, was his best known creation, enjoying great popularity in Asia and adorning lunchboxes the world over.

* More to follow.