Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of Spongebob Squarepants, passed this Monday from ALS at 57.  Nickelodeon and Jessica Berger, a rep for his family, informed news sources.

Hillenburg was diagnosed with ALS in 2017.  ALS is a rare terminal illness that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.  He said, “I wanted people to hear directly from me that I have been diagnosed with ALS.”

Spongebob Squarepants was an extremely successful cartoon.  It was first aired on Nickelodeon on May 1, 1999, and new episodes are still being released today on Nickelodeon.  The show had a huge impact on 90’s and 2000’s children, and 2 films have been made from the show, along with another film on the way.  Celebrities like Amy Poehler, Johnny Depp, LeBron James, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Kristin Wiig, Mark Hamill, Betty White and Jon Hamm all have voiced in the show over time.  

The Nickelodeon twitter page tweeted Tuesday, “We are sad to share the news of the passing of Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants.  Today, we are observing a moment of silence to honor his life and work.” Stephen has definitely made a huge impact on pop culture and children’s lives over the years and his loss will be mourned.