Veteran animator Tuck Tucker, who worked on popular series like Sponge Bob Square Pants and Hi Arnold! died on 22 December. He was 59 years old.
Tucker’s family posted the news of Tucker’s death on Facebook. “It is with a heavy and broken heart that the Tucker family announces the death of Tuck Tucker, father, husband, son, brother and uncle,” wrote Bailey Tucker on Facebook. “We know that he was loved by everyone he met. Instead of visits, if you have memories of Tuck that you would like to share on your timeline, the family would love to read them. “
Tucker was born William Osborne Tucker III on August 20, 1961. He worked on the 1987 film Pinocchio and the Night Emperor before embarking on some of the most iconic animation titles, including the 1989 Diseny feature The Little Mermaid.
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In the TV space, he worked at Nickelodeon’s Rugrats as The Simpsons. Tucker was director of storyboard for Hi, Arnold! between 1996 and 1999 and also directed the 2002 feature based on the popular Nickelodeon series. He was best known for his work in Sponge Bob Square Pants. In addition to being the storyboard artist for SpongeBob SquarePants The Movie in 2004, he served as supervisor storyboard director for 47 episodes of the hit series from 2007 to 2014. In addition, he wrote six episodes.
In 2011, he won an Annie Award for Best Music in a Television Production alongside Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton and Nick Carr. His other credits include Family Guy, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, Drawn Together, The Fairly OddParents, among others. In 2015, he started teaching graphic and animation design at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.
More recently, he worked on the next Bob burgers feature, which is scheduled to be launched by 20th Century Studios today on April 9, 2021.
Hi, Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett used Instagram to honor Tucker. “A great friend, a master draftsman, a tireless playful, a brilliant storyteller, the first one I reached out to when I started ‘Hey, Arnold!’ because he was the best board director I’ve ever met, ”wrote Bartlett. “I will always remember him on the drawing board, arms blackened to the elbows with graphite, rubber shavings everywhere, giving life to my characters. A killer work ethic, passionately in it. I am very lucky to work with him for so many years. He gave and gave. I already miss him, my heart is broken. Rest in power, Tuck Tucker. “