Stefan Karl Stefansson Health Update: Robbie Rotten From ‘LazyTown’ Now Has Terminal Cancer, Little Time Left

Stefan Karl Stefansson gained fame for his role as Robbie Rotten from the show LazyTown, but now the actor who garnered a huge internet following and became the subject of popular memes is entering the final stages of his fight with pancreatic cancer, family members announced.

Stefansson was known for his role as the goofy and lovable villain on the Icelandic children’s show, which since gained a new surge of popularity among nostalgic internet denizens who helped Robbie Rotten become Reddit’s “Meme of the Year” in 2016. Stefansson’s family announced in September that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and this week offered a more grim update on how the disease has progressed.

In a new Facebook post this week (via We the Unicorns), Stefan’s wife wrote that his cancer is no longer responding to traditional treatment, writing that his “candle burns quickly.” In the post, she wrote that Stefan has been in the hospital for the last two weeks and for the last week was suffering an infection.

The cancer has progressed beyond traditional chemotherapy, and while other forms of treatment are being investigated, Stefan Karl Stefansson’s wife said that he has virtually no chance of recovery.

She went on to explain the difficulty that came in explaining to her children that their father’s time had dwindled due to the rare form of cancer, which affected his bile duct.

The wife of "Robbie Rotten" actor Stefán Karl Stefánsson has revealed his cancer is in its final stages.https://t.co/oBFAOjUc1E pic.twitter.com/EkwlfpKSXz

— YouTuber News by PopBuzz (@YouTuberNews) June 23, 2017

“The disease is now advanced to stage four, and therefore, his life expectancy is unfortunately significantly reduced,” she wrote.

“It was unbearable to tell our children that their dad would not live to be an old man, and that the time we had together was scarce. Taking away the hope that their dad will ever recover. The trust of your children does not make you save, even when it seems unreal. It has been a relief to know that they have not been lied to. If someone thinks that children are not able to have meaningful conversations about death, life and existence, then the same goes wrong with many things.”