Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the famous Nickelodeon cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants, died Monday after suffering from ALS, the network said. The animator, who publicly revealed his ALS diagnosis in March, was 57. His hit animated series first ran on May 1, 1999, and has since aired nearly 250 episodes. “We are sad to share the news of the passing of Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants,” Nickelodeon said in a statement on Twitter. “Today, we are observing a moment of silence to honor his life and work.”
