We are all familiar with the Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. If you have not watched it, you at least heard people rave of its ridiculous humor.

The creator of the cartoon, Stephen Hillenburg, died Wednesday, Nov. 28 from the disease ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. After his diagnosis in March, he persevered not giving up for the inevitable.

ALS is a nervous system disease that decreases muscle strength in the body, impacting physical functioning.

The average life expectancy of an ALS patient is five years after diagnosis. Hillenburg only survived 8 months with the disease.

For some, it was just a silly show, but for freshman Amelia Larocca, it was everything as a kid.

“SpongeBob was literally my childhood, I watched it every single day and I never got tired of it,” Larocca said. 

 SpongeBob SquarePants is a cartoon that featured a sponge and his best friend Patrick, a starfish.

“I watched it as a kid, behind my mom’s back,” said freshman Ashley Haberberger.

Hillenburg crafted a total of 12 seasons of the cartoon, originally making it for adults, but changed the perspective when they learned kids enjoyed it so much. Additionally, there are two movies and even a Broadway show.

As of continuing the beloved show, there will be a release of the third Spongebob movie in 2020. However, it has not been announced yet whether there will be a 13th season.