‘Spongebob SquarePants’ Creator Has Died

I can sing you every word to the ‘Spongebob’ theme song right now…are you ready kids?

By Marilyn Nelson on November 27, 2018
(Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

Stephen Hillenberg, the man who used his background in marine biology from Humboldt State University – and a unique sense of humor – to create the wildly popular cartoon series Spongebob SquarePants has died. According to Nickelodeon, Hillenberg died from ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 57.

“We are incredibly saddened by the news that Steve Hillenburg has passed away following a battle with ALS,” Nickelodeon said in a statement to Variety. “He was a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family. Steve imbued ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ with a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere. His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.”

He broke into TV as a director and writer on Nickelodeon’s, “Rocko’s Modern Life” – eventually creating ‘SpongeBob’ in 1999.

Hillenburg revealed he had been diagnosed with ALS in March 2017, but hope to work on the show as long as he could. 

Thank you, Stephen Hillenburg, for all the laughter and joy you've brought us over the years: https://at.nick.com/rememberingstephen 💛

Posted by Nickelodeon on Tuesday, November 27, 2018

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