Tomie dePaola, the children’s book author and illustrator known for modern classics like Strega Nona, Little Grunt and the Big Egg, and The Clown of God, died Monday at the age of 85, the Washington Post reports.

DePaola was injured in a fall several days ago; the cause of his death was complications from surgery.

The author was best known for his Strega Nona series of books, featuring a kindly witch doctor in southern Italy. The first book in the series, which remains his best known work, was based on the German fairy tale “Sweet Porridge.”

DePaola told the Associated Press in 2013 that Strega Nona was a popular character “because she’s like everybody’s grandmother.

“She’s cute, she’s not pretty, she’s kind of funny-looking, but she’s sweet, she’s understanding,” he said.

Several other books in the series would follow over the years, most recently Strega Nona’s Magic Ring in 2018. When Publishers Weekly asked him where he gets the ideas for books featuring the character, he answered, “I tell the kids, she whispers in my ear.”

On Twitter, fans of dePaola paid tribute to the late writer and illustrator. “Forever joyful, he was a creator of beauty and a beloved friend,” wrote Lin Oliver. “RIP you genius imp.”

And novelist Nnedi Okorafor tweeted, “Strega Nona was one of my faaaavorite books when I was a child. I had it on tape, too. Might have been my first audiobook. Thank you, Mr. dePaola.”

Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.