Bob’s Burgers Character Designer Dies After Skydiving Accident

Dave Creek, who served as lead character designer on the Fox animated series since it premiered in 2011, has died at 42 years old. The news was first reported by Cartoon Brew, which revealed the artist passed Thursday from injuries sustained during a skydiving accident over the weekend.

A statement from Fox, 20th Television, and Bento Box Entertainment, reads, “We are heartbroken at the tragic passing of Dave Creek, an extraordinary artist who had been with Bob’s Burgers from day one. He was not just an incredible talent but a beautiful person as well, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and all his colleagues at the show who loved him and are grieving today.”

According to Variety, Creek was a skydiving enthusiast and a quick glance at his Instagram account will see a number of dives he’s taken over the years, along with images of personal art projects, which included miniature tree houses attached to bonsai trees.

Following news of his passing, several of those who work on the show expressed their grief on Twitter, including writer Wendy Molyneux. “If you love Bob’s Burgers, you loved Dave Creek,” she wrote. “He was an adventurous funny outgoing amazing artist and one of the most incredible, interesting people I ever met. I often thought that Dave really knew how to live, and I wish he got to live some more. Rest In Peace, buddy.”

Director Simon Chong also wrote about Creek, tweeting, “Today we tragically lost our Lead Character designer and friend, Dave Creek. A wonderfully brilliant and talented man who I can guarantee designed your favorite character on Bob’s at some point. I’ll miss you, buddy.”

You can see some other reactions from the Bob’s Burgers crew below.