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Hillenburg had said last year that he was suffering from the neurodegenerative disease called ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease. He died Monday.
"We are extremely saddened by the announcement of the death of Steve Hillenburg as a result of a battle against ALS," said the network in a statement. "He was a beloved friend and a long-time creative partner for everyone at Nickelodeon, and our heart goes out to all his family"
Hillenburg was a professor of marine biology in southern California when he started creating marine creatures as educational tools.
The first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, featuring the merry yellow sea sponge, which lived in a submarine pineapple, and his friends, Mr. Krabs, Larry the Lobster, Patrick and their restaurant restaurant Krusty Krab, were broadcast on American television in May 1999.
The series won numerous awards and produced a series of derivative books, two Hollywood films and a Broadway musical. The TV series has been broadcast in more than 200 countries and has been translated into more than 60 languages.
"Steve has given SpongeBob SquarePants a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of children and families around the world," Nickelodeon said.
"His completely original characters and Bikini Bottom's universe will long recall the value of optimism, friendship and unlimited power of imagination."
Nickelodeon is a unit of Viacom.
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