Stephen Hillenburg, creator of the Nickelodeon children’s series SpongeBob Squarepants, has died at age 57. The network announced the news on Tuesday, more than a year and a half after Hillenburg revealed his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
Over its almost two decades on the air, Hillenburg’s show has spun off two movies (one of which he directed) and a Broadway musical that earned 12 Tony Award nominations. In March 2017, Hillenburg revealed that he had ALS in a statement to Variety. “Anyone who knows me knows that I will continue to work on SpongeBob SquarePants and my other passions for as long as I am able,” he said. At the Daytime Emmys earlier this year, he received a lifetime achievement award and was introduced by voice actor Tom Kenny.
COMMENTS