He-Man creator Roger Sweet dies at 91
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Former Mattel lead designer Roger Sweet is credited with creating the prototype for action figure He-Man.
PHOTOS: GOFUNDME, REUTERS
Toy designer Roger Sweet, creator of the He-Man action figure central to the Masters Of The Universe franchise, died early on April 28 after battling dementia. He was 91.
Confirming his death to TMZ, Mr Sweet’s wife, Ms Marlene Sweet, told the entertainment news outlet that he died peacefully at a care facility where he was receiving treatment.
His death poignantly fell on the date fans of the franchise celebrate “Masters of the Universe Day”, which was declared by then-Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in 1987.
As lead designer for American toymaker Mattel’s Preliminary Design Department in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr Sweet is credited with creating the prototype for action figure He-Man – a sword-wielding superhero and protagonist of the cartoon series He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe, which launched in 1983 and was wildly popular throughout the decade.
The franchise was later adapted into video games, comic books and strips, and magazines. It also earned spin-off titles including She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985) and The New Adventures Of He-Man (1989).
His death comes as a second live-action Masters Of The Universe movie is set to hit theatres in June.
Ms Sweet said her husband suffered a fall while out walking alone, but he could not remember what happened. He was admitted to the ICU after doctors discovered two brain bleeds during tests.
He was later admitted to a memory care facility, where the couple had to pay US$10,200 (S$13,032) a month.
“He has only been there a few days and his mental decline is sadly continuing,” Ms Sweet wrote in a GoFundMe campaign page, which she launched in February to help foot the medical bills. The campaign has since garnered more than US$93,800 in donations.
