Director, storyboard artist, writer and animator Tuck Tucker dies at 59

We are sorry to report the passing of veteran animator, writer, storyboard artist, director and songwriter "Tuck" Tucker at the age of 59 on December 22nd. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Tucker fell in love with cartoons and the world of animation at an early age. His first job after college was breakdown artist in Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987), which led to work on BraveStarr Disney series and feature films The little Mermaid. In the early 90s he worked as a pager Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy Show e The Simpsons. He soon became a storyboard artist and director for animated series such as Hey Arnold!, Aaahh! True Monsters e Paperino.

Among the many other popular animated films and shows that Tucker worked on were SpongeBob SquarePants, Quite odd parents, Oh yeah! Cartoons ("Planet Kate / Fat Head"), The Mighty B!, Lazlo camp, as well as The SpongeBob SquarePants movie. (Tucker's daughter is one of the children's voices they heard in the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song.) He also won the 38th Annie Award in 2011 for Best Music in a Television Production (along with Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton and Nick Carr.) for his work on Sea sponge.

His directing credits included The Fairly OddParents, Drawn Together, Hey Arnold!, Party Wagon e Hey Arnold! The film. His most recent credits were as a sheet timer on Clarence and as a revisionist of the storyboard in the coming 2021 Bob's Burger: The Movie. Tucker also taught graphic design and animation at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. (Tucker also used several aliases, including: Bily Tucker, Bill Tucker, William Tucker, Billy Bob Tucker, and William "Tuck" Tucker.)

Thursday (December 24th), Hey Arnold! Creator Craig Bartlett paid tribute to the late artist on Facebook: "A great friend, a master draftsman, a tireless practical joker, a brilliant storyteller, the first one I contacted when I started. Hey Arnold! because he was the best council guy I ever met. I will always remember him at his drawing board, his arms blackened to the elbows with graphite, the rubber shavings everywhere, giving life to my characters. A killer work ethic, passionately. I am so lucky to have worked with him for so many years. He gave and he gave. I miss it already, my heart is broken. Rest in power, Tuck Tucker. "

Ex Sea sponge Storyboard artist Nick Lauer wrote, “Last night I found out that my college mentor, Tuck Tucker, is dead. He was a wonderful man with a great sense of humor. I learned so much from him. You might know him from sea ​​sponge e Hey Arnold (that was a big reason Helga turned out to be such a great character). I wouldn't be where I am today without his guidance. I can't forget the fact that I won't be able to chat with him on the phone anymore. Don't forget to tell the important people in your life how much they mean to you. One day it may be too late. Thanks for everything, Tuck. "

You can hear a wonderful interview with Tucker here.