Stephen Hillenburg

Stephen Hillenburg (born August 21, 1961) was an American marine biologist, animator, writer, producer, actor, voice actor, and director. He was best known for creating the Nickelodeon animated series "SpongeBob SquarePants".
Hillenburg was born in Lawton, Oklahoma at a United States Army base. He was raised in Anaheim, California. He studied at Humboldt State University where he majored in marine biology and minored in arts. Hillenburg was inspired by Jacques Cousteau and Max Fleischer. Hillenburg had a wife named Karen Umland (now named Karen Hillenburg), which he married till his death.
In March 2017, Hillenburg was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is a terminal illness that affects the nervous system. He died from heart failure as a complication of the disease on November 26, 2018 in San Marino, California at the age of 57. He is still credited as an executive producer after his death.