Dennis Bruce, one of Canada’s top creative minds during the 60s and 70s who started one of the country’s most renowned agencies of the 80s, has passed away.

Born in 1936, Bruce would begin his career in the 50s as an illustrator and designer at agencies in South Africa, his native U.K. and New York before eventually landing in Toronto at MacLaren. After working as an art director on the General Motors account, he moved over to McCann-Erikson, where he met copywriter Cubby Marcus. The duo would form Marcus & Bruce, which would be the first of several shops Bruce would start that would garner attention for an anti-establishment attitude and big creative ideas, attracting clients like Molson Export.

In 1974, he would be hired by Ogilvy & Mather to be the creative director at its office in New Zealand, turning it into one of the country’s top agencies over the course of four years. His work led to MacLaren luring him back in 1978 to lead creative on its national accounts, but he would also work with copywriter Marty Myers to establish The Gloucester Group, a boutique creative group within the agency.

After Gloucester was folded into MacLaren by the agency in 1983, Bruce and Myers went out on their own, enlisting former MacLaren account man Eric Miller to start Miller Myers Bruce. The agency – later known as Miller Myers Bruce DallaCosta and then Miller Myers Bruce DallaCosta Harrod and Mirlin – would produce renowned work for the likes of Catelli, CBC, Maple Leaf Foods, PepsiCo, Sony, Subaru and P&G.

But it was in 1984 that Bruce helped created what would become one of the most well-known pieces of work in his portfolio, as well as in Canada as a whole: London Life’s “Freedom 55,” a campaign that put the idea of early retirement (with the help of London Life’s financial advisors) into the heads of Canadians tired of the day-to-day grind. The campaign was not only successful enough to run for more than 25 years, but also for the client to eventually rebrand its retirement planning division to Freedom 55.

In 1993, both Bruce and Myers would leave their agency a few months after holding company Lopex increased its minority stake to buy the rest of the agency. Both would briefly join their sons Duncan Bruce and Brad Myers in an agency they had started – changing its name to Bruce & Myers & Bruce & Myers – before Bruce left to start a creative strategy and consumer insight firm called Mindset Creative Planning.

Bruce would also use his talent as a communicator to promote causes he believed in, such as the Yonge Street Mission and Furniture Bank. He also helped establish Blythwood Road Baptist Church’s Out of the Cold program, which aimed to provide Toronto’s homeless population with warmth during the city’s coldest months.

Three of Bruce’s four children would end up working in advertising; Margaret would work as a strategic planner, while Duncan is currently president and CEO of creative agency Publicis Canada and Andrew is CEO of holding company Publicis Groupe Canada.

In lieu of flowers, Bruce’s family has requested that donations in his name be made to Blythwood’s Out of the Cold program.