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'Lazy Town' actor Stefan Karl Stefansson, aka Robbie Rotten, dies after battling cancer for two years

A spokesperson for his family said that the actor was surrounded by his family and friends at the time of his passing
UPDATED APR 9, 2020
(Source:Getty Images)
(Source:Getty Images)

Stefan Karl Stefansson — the man who gave us the ever so villainous Robbie Rotten from the popular children's show Lazy Town — is no more. The actor succumbed to a long battle with cancer and passed away on Tuesday, TMZ reported. A spokesperson for his family told the outlet that the actor was surrounded by his family and friends at the time of his passing.

Stefan had been battling bile cancer for the last two years prior to his death. The 43-year-old Iceland native as most popular for his fixture on 'Lazy Town' which ran successfully over the course of 10 years. In his time on the show, Stefan starred alongside Julianna Mauriello, who played the role of Stephanie — the girl whose fun kept being ruined by the villainous Robbie Rotten. Stefan's last appearance on the show was in its finale back in 2014.

Survived by his wife and four children, Stefan's battle with cancer had started back in 2016 when he was first diagnosed with the disease. Soon, he underwent surgery, after which it was believed that he was on the journey towards recovery. At the time, in an interview that he had shared on his Facebook page, he said: "I'm free from the disease, the cancer. The hurt has gone. Until it returns, which I hope will be never. Life is now. It's really a miracle that I'm still here."

However, his cancer relapsed earlier this year, sadly inoperable this time. Back in March, Stefan had addressed his battle via a statement saying: "It's not until they tell you you're going to die soon that you realize how short life is. Time is the most valuable thing in life because it never comes back. And whether you spend it in the arms of a loved one or alone in a prison-cell, life is what you make of it. Dream big."

Shortly after that, in a reply to a fan's comment, Stefan had announced: "This time they can't operate on it".

His wife, Steinunn Olina Thorsteinsdottir, had also called the return of his cancer "a difficult turning point (sic)" on a Facebook post. "His illness has had an impact on the whole family, naturally. Some days we feel very low, some days we are happy and are happy about all that we have accomplished together and lived together. Nobody can take that away from us, however, this goes. Not even death itself," she had added.


Known for his hilariously sinister ways of trying to ruin everything for Stephanie on the show — along with those funny, silly facial expressions that were turned into countless memes off late — Stefan will truly be missed as the iconic Robbie Rotten who made everyone's childhood so much funnier.

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