The Creator of SpongeBob SquarePants Has Died at 57

Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, died this week after a battle with ALS. He created the iconic and long-lasting characters that inhabited Bikini Bottom, and wrote, directed, and produced many, many episodes since the show's beginnings in 1999. He was just 57 years old.

First conceived as a way to illustrate his teachings as a marine biology professor, the characters of Bikini Bottom eventually morphed into an idea for his idiosyncratic, popular, and to-this-day cultural sensation. Seriously, how many SpongeBob memes have you seen this week?Probably a good few.

A writer and director on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Hillenburg also produced a 2015 sequel, Sponge Out Of Water. Here's to a legend who created a legend. Both will be beloved remembered for decades to come.