Paul Winchell aka Tigger from "Winnie the Pooh" dies

The famous ventriloquist, Paul Winnchell, the voice of Tigger from "Winnie the Pooh", died at 82 years, on Friday at his home in Moorpark, California.

Paul Winchell, born in New York City on Dec. 21, 1922 became fascinated with ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his doll, Charlie McCarthy and started to imitate them in the beginning, which helped him to overcome his speech impediment.

"Ventriloquism is closely related to magic," he told the Chicago Tribune in 1999. "It's all about misdirection. You practice speaking from your diaphragm and low in your throat. You substitute letters for 'B' and 'P' that allow you to speak without moving your lips."

He debuted on NBC in 1947 with "The Paul Winchell-Jerry Mahoney Show" and shortly after he became popular in children's television host through the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1968, he took the voice of Tigger, in Disney's "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day", which which earned an Academy Award for best animated short film and Grammy in 1974 for the best children's recording with "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" from the feature "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too."