Joe Ruby and Ken SpearsAnimation writers responsible for many Saturday morning cartoons die at 87 and 82, respectivelyRuby and Spears are inextricably linked to each other in terms of their contributions to American television. At Hanna-Barbera, they are credited with being the creative forces behind the still-running mystery cartoon
Scooby-Doo in the late 1960s, which set off a wave of similar cartoons that Ruby and Spears also wrote. In the late 1970s, they briefly split off into their own venture, Ruby-Spears Productions, which most famously updated
Alvin and the Chipmunks for the 1980s generation. The company eventually merged back into their former employers, Hanna-Barbera, in the 1980s; today the catalog is owned by Warner Bros.
Ruby died August 26 (his death was publicized back then but I apparently missed it). Spears died November 6 of Lewy body dementia.
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby-Spears