The world, and especially the meme community, is mourning after news of Stefán Karl Stefánsson losing his 2 year battle with cancer. The Icelandic star of the Nick Jr show LazyTown has long been hailed as a hero of the meme community. His character, the scheming "villain" Robbie Rotten, has been the subject of viral memes for over four years.
Stefánsson's battle with bile duct cancer inspired a heartwarming effort within the oft-irreverent r/dankmemes community. The subreddit played a huge part in raising money for the actor via what became a wildly successful GoFundMe campaign. Along with raising money, the subreddit dedicated many uncharacteristically wholesome memes in the actor's name, a movement the community has revisited upon the news of Stefánsson's death.
Stefán was very aware of his internet fame. He filmed a "thank you" video for all his supporters and took part in a Reddit AMA to engage with his devotees. The star disappeared from social media in March - and his last tweet is somewhat of a tearjerker.
We're sending lots of love to his friends and family, and have included some of the wholesome memes r/dankmemes has been posting in his memory. The subreddit has dedicated 24 hours to Stefán Karl Stefánsson, so head over to the page for more tears and love. He'll always be #1 in our eyes.
