Stefán Karl Stefánsson[1] † (July 10, 1975 – August 21, 2018 [aged 43]) was an Icelandic actor best known for his role as Robbie Rotten in the television series LazyTown. On August 21, 2018, he died in Iceland of bile duct cancer at the age of 43.
Early life
Stefánsson was born and raised in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland on July 10, 1975, where he grew up and lived for most of his life. In 2004, he moved to the United States.
Career
Stefánsson's career started in 1994. At the age of 19, he worked as a puppeteer for television. During his years as a puppeteer, he had also been studying at the Drama Academy of Iceland. However, he was unsatisfied with the perspectives of Icelandic drama standards. He recalled that his principal at his high school said that "Acting is not about making faces and changing your face", which he disagreed with.
Later, Stefánsson had been invited by Magnús Scheving, an Icelandic gymnast, to portray one of the characters in the second LazyTown play. Scheving created the plays due to his concerns about Iceland's younger generation lacking sufficient physical exercise. Stefánsson explained that "[Scheving] wanted the kids to get healthier, so he created this musical called LazyTown. He played Sportacus, the fitness fanatic, and I was Robbie Rotten, the guy who liked to stay indoors and sleep". After initial success with the musical, Nickelodeon eventually made a deal with the creators of LazyTown to air the first 40 episodes of LazyTown, along with a special studio built in Iceland. During the first few years of LazyTown in the early 2000s, Stefánsson initially knew no English, but soon became fluent.[citation needed]
Personal life
Stefán Karl, a renowned Icelandic actor and comedian, was awarded the Order of the Falcon in 2018 and lived in Los Angeles with his wife Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir, three daughters, and one son.
Illness and death
Following Stefánsson's announcement in October 2016 that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a GoFundMe campaign was created by LazyTown head writer Mark Valenti to pay his living costs when he fell too ill to work. The campaign was popularized by SilvaGunner uploading a parody of Stefánsson's work, which led to the song "We Are Number One" from LazyTown becoming an Internet meme. As of June 11, 2017, the campaign had raised over $121,000, surpassing its goal of $100,000. To thank contributors, Stefánsson held a live stream on Facebook on December 11, 2016, where he performed the song with the other actors from the music video. As of 2024, Stefánsson's GoFundMe page is complete and no longer active.
On May 19, 2017, his wife Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir announced on Facebook that his cancer had relapsed and two masses on his liver had to be surgically removed.
On June 21, 2017, Stefánsson's wife posted on Facebook that the cancer had once again metastasized and had reached Stage IV, meaning he would most likely not survive. She stated in her post, "Although the chances and statistics are not in our favor, and Stefán's candle burns quickly, we will not be scared of fear."
Death
On August 21, 2018, Stefánsson died in Iceland of bile duct cancer at the age of 43. Stefan's wife announced that a funeral will not be held, and his remains will be scattered in secrecy in a distant ocean.
After Death
On October 20, 2017, he uploaded a video where he celebrated receiving a Silver Play Button and encouraged more people to subscribe so that he could reach a million subscribers and get the gold button. This video saw increased views after his death, resulting in a surge in subscribers and his channel reaching the million subscriber milestone and receiving the Gold Play Button. Unfortunately, as of January, 2021, his channel has lost some subscribers, and he no longer reaches this milestone.
His family uploaded a small number of videos to his channel after his death in memory of him. Stefánsson leaves behind a large legacy particularly for people born in the late 1990s and 2000s, who grew up watching him on LazyTown and witnessed him becoming an internet meme.
References
