"Black Cat Detective" in 1984. (File photo: china.org)

SHANGHAI, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese cartoonist Dai Tielang, whose "Black Cat Detective" is a household name in China, died of illness at the age of 89 on Wednesday evening.

Shanghai Animation Film Studio, which Dai had worked with, confirmed his death.

Born in Singapore in 1930, Dai moved to China at the age of 10. After college graduation, he began working at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio where he joined the production of a number of animation masterpieces such as "A Deer of Nine Colors."

"Black Cat Detective," directed by Dai and first aired between 1984 and 1987, is one of China's oldest animated TV series. Its protagonist, a motorbike-riding cat sergeant who fights crime in a forest, is among the most beloved animated characters in China.

Su Da, director of the studio, said Dai, who has ardently loved animation and science throughout his life, produced many works that are science-based and imaginative. His death was a great loss for the Chinese animation industry, she remarked.