Animator Dan Lee dies at age 35

TORONTO, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Canadian animator Dan Lee, who designed the character of Nemo for the Pixar film "Finding Nemo," died of cancer in Berkeley, Calif., at the age of 35.

"Dan was a longtime member of our Pixar family," "Finding Nemo" writer and director Andrew Stanton said in Lee's obituary, published in the Globe and Mail.

"He single-handedly designed Nemo and has been a major influence at Pixar. Dan was a wonderful, irreplaceable, talented human being, and we miss him terribly."

Lee died Jan. 15 at the Alta Bates Summit Hospital in Berkeley, Calif. Although he was a non-smoker, Lee had been diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2003, reported the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Monday.

Lee graduated at the top of his class at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, from the school's prestigious animation program.

He joined the animation studio Pixar in California as a sketch artist, character designer and animator. His work can be seen in "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2" and "Monsters, Inc."

Lee is survived by his parents and three sisters.