Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, dies at 91 in Massachusetts Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, dies at 91 in Massachusetts Eric Carle’s family said he died Sunday by his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, with family members at his side. advertisement File photo of Eric Carle from AP. Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91. Carle’s family said he died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, with family members by his side. The family’s announcement was issued by Penguin Young Readers.