Tuck Tucker, a veteran animator and storyboard director, known for his work on “Hey Arnold!” and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’, passed away on December 22nd. He was 59.
Tucker’s family announced his death on Facebook and wrote: “It is with a heavy and broken heart that the Tucker family announces the death of Tuck Tucker, father, husband, son, brother and uncle. We know he loved everyone he met. No cause of death was given.
Born William Osborne Tucker III on August 20, 1961, Tucker’s passion for animation began at a young age by watching cartoons with his father. Tucker eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in animation, getting his first job as a destructive artist in the 1987 film Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night. He also starred in 1989’s “The Little Mermaid”. “, the television series” Rugrats “and more than a dozen episodes of” The Simpsons “in 1996 as a character layout artist.
He directed the storyboard in 25 episodes of ‘Hey Arnold!’ between 1996 and 1999, and will direct “Hey Arnold! The Movie ”in 2002, as well as supervising 19 episodes of the program between 1999 and 2004. Tucker was also known for his work on” SpongeBob SquarePants “, including as a storyboard artist for” SpongeBob SquarePants The Movie “in 2004. and as supervising storyboard director for 47 episodes of the hit series from 2007 to 2014. Tucker also wrote six episodes of the series.
Tucker’s most recent project was as a review board for the upcoming ‘Bob’s Burgers’ movie, which is currently in production. In addition to his work in the film and television industry, Tucker began teaching graphic and animation design at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. In 2015.
“Hey Arnold!” creator Craig Bartlett paid tribute to Tucker on Instagram and wrote: ‘A great friend, a cartoonist, a tireless practical joker, a brilliant storyteller, the first to whom I’ Hey Arnold! ‘started. for he was the best advice I have ever met. I will always remember him at his drawing board, the arms blackened with graphite, glue shavings everywhere, bringing my characters to life. A killer’s work ethic, passionate about it. I am so happy that I had to work with him for so many years. ”