Author and illustrator Raymond Briggs has died at the age of 88, The New York Times and the BBC report.

His death, in a hospital in Brighton, England, was confirmed by his publisher in Britain, Penguin Random House.

Briggs was best known for his 1978 book, The Snowman, about a snowman who comes to life and befriends a little boy. The book, which has sold more than 5.5 million copies, was adapted into an animated short that won a BAFTA award and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.