Boyd Kirkland, American animation producer and director, Mormon missionary, died from pulmonary fibrosis he was , 60.

Boyd D. Kirkland  was an American television director of animated cartoons. He was best known for his work on X-Men Evolution. His other famous works included Batman: The Animated Series. He suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). While in ICU at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, he died waiting for a lung transplant on January 27, 2011^[1].

(November 11, 1950 - January 27, 2011)

 Biographical background

Kirkland was raised in Utah as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).^[2] He received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Weber State College in Ogden, Utah.^[3] His career in animation started in 1979 as a layout artist.^[4] This evolved into XAM! Productions,^[3] a partnership based in Salt Lake City that subcontracted for larger Los Angeles based studios. He moved his family to Los Angeles in 1985.^[4]
Kirkland has published articles about the nature of God in Mormon thought. While a missionary for the LDS Church, Kirkland was confused about the Adam-God doctrine, ostensibly taught in the 19th century, which led him to start questioning the current official church teachings.^[5] After brief unhelpful requests for answers from church leaders, Kirkland continued in his own research into the controversy, resulting in articles published in Sunstone Magazine,^[6] Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought,^[7] and chapters of Line Upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine.^[8][5]
Kirkland has worked as a producer for Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: The Animated Series, and with storyboards for G.I. Joe: The Movie, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, My Little Pony: The Movie, and Starchaser: The Legend of Orin. He has also worked on various Mormon cartoons from the Living Scriptures, Inc., including "The Savior in America" and "The Miracles of Jesus."^[9]

Notable works

X-Men: Evolution

Boyd Kirkland was a producer and writer.

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

SubZero could be considered a major personal achievement in film making by Boyd Kirkland. As a writer, director and producer on the film, he was an integral part of the creative process. This gave him a unique opportunity to highly influence critical decisions and make the type of movie he felt Batman fans would enjoy and appreciate.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Boyd Kirkland was a sequence director and storyboard artist for Mask of the Phantasm.

Batman: The Animated Series

Boyd Kirkland was a writer and director for Batman: The Animated Series.^[10]

To see more of who died in 2010 click here