'SpongeBob SquarePants' Mr. Krabs Actor Breaks Silence on Creator Stephen Hillenburg's Death

Clancy Brown, who voices Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob SquarePants, has broken his silence on the death of series creator Stephen Hillenburg.

Brown took to Twitter to express his sorrow and sympathy, saying that his "moment of silence had to be at least a whole day."

"Steve's passing is so very sad but ALS is brutal, unrelenting. He was a sweet, humble dude. Happy. Funny. In love with his family. A faithful friend. A pure heart," he added. "He is also a legitimate genius. He never thought so, but I do."

My moment of silence had to be at least a whole day.
Steve's passing is so very sad but ALS is brutal, unrelenting.
He was a sweet, humble dude. Happy. Funny. In love with his family. A faithful friend. A pure heart
He is also a legitimate genius.
He never thought so, but I do. //t.co/fj4rmj2f2C

— Clancy Brown (@RealClancyBrown) November 28, 2018

"I owe so much to him, personally speaking. He never thought so. But I do," Brown added. "Thanks, Steve. Keep smiling' & surfin' dude...."

Hillenburg passed away on Monday, one year after revealing that he had been diagnosed with ALS.

💛 We are sad to share the news of the passing of Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. Today, we are observing a moment of silence to honor his life and work. 💛

— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) November 27, 2018

Prior to Hillenburg's tragic death, the voice of Spongebob himself, Tom Kenny, appeared on stage at the the 45th Daytime Emmys Creative Arts awards to honor his longtime friend.

"Sometime in 1997ish, Stephen Hillenburg showed me some drawings he had done for a show that he was thinking about pitching to Nickelodeon about a good hearted sponge, his dumb sea star friend, a greedy crab boss, a cranky squid neighbor, a teeny tiny enemy and a Texas squirrel that's gone subaquatic," he began his speech, then joking, "I know, seen it before, right?"

"I fell in love immediately and it seems like some other people did too," Kenny continued. "Spongebob's vocal cords might be mine, but Spongebob's playful spirit of gentle anarchy, his humor and the joy he takes in his vibrant, colorful, music-filled world come directly — directly — 100 percent from my buddy, Mr. Stephen Hillenburg."

Mourning the loss of #Emmys winner #StephenHillenburg Creator of #SpongeBob #SquarePants. Here’s a clip from the 45th #DaytimeEmmys #CreativeArtsEmmys earlier this year where #TomKenny presents a Special Recognition Award 2 Stephen on behalf of #TheEmmys #Cartoons pic.twitter.com/UDnNDqle4c

— Daytime Emmy Awards (@DaytimeEmmys) November 28, 2018

In celebration of Hillenburg's life and creative contributions to culture, Nickelodeon will be airing a Spongebob Squarepants marathon on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET.