Beloved actor Stefan Karl Stefansson has passed away on Aug. 21. The Icelandic star rose to fame playing Robbie Rotten on LazyTown for over a decade, but he was sadly diagnosed with bile duct cancer two years ago, which finally lead to his death at just 43 years old, according to TMZ. While fans knew him as an actor, he was also a loving husband and father of four.

Fans were particularly invested in Stefan’s story after his character became a meme in 2016, leading to many parodies, remixes, and covers of his song “We Are Number One.” Stefan had been in recovery, but unfortunately his cancer came back terminally in 2018.

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He frequently kept his fans updated on his cancer journey on Instagram, where he posted photos of his chemotherapy treatments and inspirational messages. His last message, posted in 2017, said, “at the end of every storm, there is a rainbow of hope.” He captioned the image, “From the bottom of my heart I thank you for the support you provide me. You give me hope and you all move me.”

Those same fans were crushed by his passing. “RIP Stefan. Thank you for my childhood, for the memes, for everything. I’ll miss you. ???,” said one fan on Instagram. “Noo… why… ??? I’m sobbing omfg… ugh. Rest In Peace, you’ll always be my favorite villain I love you ?,” said another. 

Our hearts go out to his family in this devastating time.