Taylor Ridley

Ruth Ridley (2nd July, 1947-27th June, 2019), known professionally as Taylor Ridley, was a Jetanie television producer, animator, narrator, musician, singer and writer. She is perhaps best known for creating the television series Gravy and Spider and Xya's Friends, as well as the The Sweet Treets franchise. Ridley is remembered fondly by 1970s children, particularly by fans of the Windmill programming strand. She had British heritage in her parents.

Ridley semi-retired in 1987 following the end of production of The Sweet Treets. During her later years, she suffered from cardiomyopathy and died on 27th June, 2019 after entering cardiac arrest.

Early life
Ruth Ridley was born on 2nd July, 1947 in Jetania to British parents. Her father was a World War II veteran.

Personal life
Ridley married Otto Fardink in 1969. The couple had two daughters, born in 1972 and 1975. They divorced in 1985 due to "irreconcilable differences". She has three grandchildren. Ridley later married Tim Haartman in 1993. The couple remained married until Ridley's death in 2019.

In an interview which occured after Ridley's death, both Fardink and Ridley's daughters admitted that they "hardly ever saw her when [she and Fardink] were married".

1986 attack
In 1986, Ridley was the victim of an attempted assassination after publicly speaking about her opposition for the Kuboian Independence Movement.

In 1996, two Marvatian men were charged for attempted murder, and were sentenced 14 years imprisonment. Both men were released in August 2010.

Death
Ridley died on the night of 27th June, 2019, just five days before her 72th birthday. Her death was revealed to the public the following morning. She had spent the last few weeks of her life in hospital.

The day after her death, it was revealed that Ridley had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, and died after entering cardiac arrest. She supposedly kept her disease a secret, and did not tell her family about it until she had to enter hospital after falling severely ill. A private funeral for Ridley was held on 10th July - its location was kept private.

Celebrities paid tribute to Ridley through social media.

Production credits

 * Windmill: The Official Album (1976)

Production credits

 * 1972-1977 - Gravy and Spider
 * 1974-1975 - Storytime with the Treets
 * 1974-1979 - Xya's Friends
 * 1978-1979 - Mr. Lister
 * 1984-1987 - The Sweet Treets

Acting credits

 * 1972-1977 - Gravy and Spider; narrator
 * 1974-1975 - Storytime with the Treets; Liane Lockridge, the Treets
 * 1974-1979 - Xya's Friends
 * 1978-1979 - Mr. Lister; narrator
 * 1994 - The Great Jetanie War; herself
 * 2001 - Tone Riddles: From Puppets to Music; herself
 * 2004 - 30 Years of Windmill: How It All Began; herself
 * 2007 - 100 Greatest Cartoons of All-Time; herself
 * 2011 - Ericka Streets: The Queen of Kuboia; herself