Stephen Hillenburg place of death San Marino
Personal life
In 1998, Hillenburg married Karen Umland, a Southern Californian chef who teaches at the New School of Cooking in Culver City. He deemed her the funniest person he knew, and the character of Karen Plankton was named after her. Also in 1998, their first and only child, son Clay, was born. Hillenburg formerly resided in Hollywood and Pasadena, and lived with his family in San Marino, California until his death. His hobbies included surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, and performing "noisy rock music" on his guitar. He jammed with his son, who is a drummer, which Hillenburg called "a great way to bond with each other." He also enjoyed birdwatching at home, but said that he was always "an ocean freak".He was known informally as "Steve" among his family, friends, and fans. According to his colleagues, he was "a perfectionist workaholic", and was also known for his private nature. Julia Pistor, co-producer of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, noted that Hillenburg was "very shy". She said: "He doesn't want people to know about his life or family. He's just a really funny, down-to-earth guy with a dry sense of humor who puts his family first and keeps us on our toes in keeping our corporate integrity." Hillenburg said about himself: "I make animation because I like to draw and create things. I have no real interest to be on camera or to be a celebrity. It's not that I don't like people, but I like having my privacy."
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