The creator of “SpongeBob SquarePants”, Stephen Hillenburg, died November 27, 2018. He was 57 years old and died from ALS. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and nerve cells causing them to degenerate
His recent death is reviving awareness for the disease, which many people know from the ‘ALS Ice Bucket Challenge’. Student John Martinez said “Stephen Hillenburg was such an important impact because of the joy he brought people with ‘SpongeBob’ so his death brought awareness to teens who grew up watching the show.”
Today many people who grew up watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” are devastated by the news of his death. “He created one of the greatest cartoons ever,” says Martinez. Even though he is no longer with us we will always have his cartoons to remember him by.