Roger Sweet, the action figure designer who created ‘He-Man’, later adapted into the Masters of the Universe cartoon series and an upcoming feature film, has died at the age of 91. According to his wife, Marlene, Sweet had been battling dementia.
Marlene told TMZ that her husband died early on Tuesday morning. Sweet designed the muscular He-Man character for Mattel during the 1970s and 1980s, and the toy line was first released in 1982. The animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, based on the Mattel action figures, aired from 1983 to 1984.
A new live-action film based on the franchise, Masters of the Universe, is scheduled to be released on June 5. The film is directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler. It stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Jared Leto as Skeletor.