LOS ANGELES – Nickelodeon cartoon Spongebob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg, who introduced marine lifestyle of Bikini Bottom to television, the movies, and the stage, has passed away at the age of 57.
Hillenburg had said last year that he was suffering from the neurodegenerative disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He died on Monday.
“We are incredibly saddened by the news that Steve Hillenburg has passed away following a battle with ALS,” the network said in a statement. “He was a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family.”
https://twitter.com/Nickelodeon/status/1067471668363313152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F219912-spongebob-squarepants-animated-series-creator-dies-at-age-57
Hillenburg was a marine biology teacher in Southern California when he started creating sea creatures as teaching tools. The first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, featuring the cheerful yellow sea sponge who lived in an underwater pineapple aired on US television in May 1999.
These series went on to win multiple awards. SpongeBob has been aired in more than 200 nations and has been translated into more than 60 languages.
“Steve imbued SpongeBob SquarePants with a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere,” stated Nickelodeon.
Below is the video for theme song ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9L4AseD-aA
RIP! Stephen Hillenburg.
