FITCHBURG - Donald Featherstone, inventor of the pink flamingo lawn ornament, died Monday after an illness.

Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella announced his passing, calling him a "local classic."

Mr. Featherstone created the pink flamingo in 1957 after graduating from art school at the Worcester Art Museum. He worked at Union Products in Leominster, and the pink flamingo was one of 750 items he created for the company.

In 1996 Mr. Featherstone was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in art. The prize is a parody of the Nobel Prizes and given to honor unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. That year he also was appointed president of Union Products, a post he held until 2000.