The creator of the very popular animated TV show that aired in the 20th century, Stephen Hillenburg, passed away on Monday, Nov. 26, in his home in southern California. He was 57 years old.

The cause of death was ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is a disease that breaks down nerve cells. An article written by the Mayo Clinic staff wrote that the chances of getting ALS increases with age. They wrote, “ALS risk increases with age, and it is most common between the ages of 40 and 60.”

He began his career as a marine biology teacher and then attended the California Institute of the Arts to pursue animating. He was then hired by Nickelodeon where he began his career in animation. In 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants aired for the first time.

He won two Emmy Awards and six Annie Awards for SpongeBob. SpongeBob was in its 12th season and there have been about 250 episodes created by Stephen Hillenburg, including: Goodbye, Krabby Patty, Plankton Retires, Trident Trouble, and SpaceBob MerryPants.

He was truly loved by Karen, his wife of 20 years, Nancy, his mother, and Clay, his son.