the inventor of The popular animated series “SpongeBob Squarepants”, Stephen Hillenburg, is dead. He was on Monday at the age of 57 years, of nervous disease THAN died, told the station Nickelodeon.

“SpongeBob Squarepants” was in the USA for the first time in 1999 on the air. The series is set in the seabed city of Bikini Bottom, the sponge is SpongeBob, the starfish Patrick, squid, squidward, and other sea animals live.

hill castle have filled the series with a “unique sense of Humor and innocence,” it said in the Statement. “His totally original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long remember the values of optimism, friendship, and boundless imagination.”

According to the US trade journal “Variety” 1xbet have been aired almost 250 episodes of the series, which has been translated into more than 60 languages. The German version was first shown from 2002 to 2009, on Super RTL. Hill castle, also wrote and produced the 2004 and 2015, published in “SpongeBob”movies. A third Film was planned before Hillenburgs death for 2020.

In his studies and as a teacher of marine biology employed in hill castle with the animal and plant world of the oceans, in 1992, he was in California for a degree in Animation.

Last year, in March it became known that he was to the nerve disease WHEN the disease. He told “Variety” that he wanted to continue his work “as long as it is possible for me”.

In April of this year, was awarded the hill castle with a special Emmy for his contribution to the cartoon and animation world.

kry/dpa