He was a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family. 'We are incredibly saddened by the news that Steve Hillenburg has passed away following a battle with ALS. Meanwhile, Nickelodeon released a statement giving their condolences to Hillenburg's family, while praising the 'unique sense of humor and innocence' he brought to Spongebob Squarepants: The following day, the official account posted a tweet in Hillenburg's memory (shown below). On November 26th, Hillenburg died at the age of 57 due to complications from the progressive neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The announcement led to an outpouring of support on Twitter from fans of the series. Hillenburg, 55, promised that he would continue working on Spongebob. On March 14th, 2017, creator Stephen Hillenberg released a statement that he had been diagnosed with ALS, colloquially known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
