'Lazytown' Actor, Stefan Karl Stefansson, Dies From Cancer

Actor Stefan Karl Stefansson who played Robbie Rotten on the popular children’s show LazyTown, died Aug. 21 from bile duct cancer at age 43. A spokesperson for Stefansson's family told TMZ that he passed away 'surrounded by friends and family'. The actor leaves behind his wife and four children. Bile duct cancer is a rare and aggressive form of cancer. His wife, actress Steinunn Olina Porsteinsdottir, said in a statement to People: "My beloved, Stefan Karl Stefansson, 43, has passed away after battling aggressive bile duct cancer for two years." "Per Stefan's wishes, there will be no funeral. His earthly remains will be scattered in secrecy in a distant ocean. "Stefan's family wants to express their gratitude for the support and warmth received in recent years, and to express their deepest sympathy to the many friends and fans of Stefan Karl," she added. The Icelandic actor starred on LazyTown between 2004 and 2007, and later 2013-2014, with his last appearance being on the show’s finale episode in 2014. Lazytown followed the adventures of an eight-year-old girl whose mission was to help her town become active and healthy. In the series, Robbie Rotten often tried to thwart her plans. "Entertaining and making kids laugh is my favorite thing," he wrote on Reddit last year. His wife announced in March 2018 that Stefansson was facing inoperable cancer. “We got confirmed after a trip to Köben in Jáeindaskan that there are new metastases in Stefán that can not be removed by surgery. Even though I knew for a long time that this day would come, it’s a difficult turning point. There is no cure for this,” she wrote in a Facebook post, Metro reported. “Now he will have to undergo chemotherapy to try to prolong his life and we hope that this will go as well is possibly can, to improve how he feels and to prolong his life.” In April 2018, Stefansson chose to cease chemotherapy, and delete his Twitter account. In a Twitter message in March 10, 2018, he wrote: “It’s not until they tell you you’re going to die soon that you realize how short life is,” the message read, Metro reported. “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."