Roger Sweet, He-Man Creator, Dies at 91

Roger Sweet, the toy designer who created the popular He-Man character, has passed away at the age of 91.

According to TMZ, actor Dick Sweet passed away on Tuesday after a struggle with dementia. His wife, Marlene, shared that he died peacefully in a care facility. Earlier this year, Marlene revealed Sweet’s declining health and started a fundraising campaign to help with his medical expenses. Fans quickly came together and raised over $93,000 to support him.

After a fall, Sweet’s health declined and he experienced memory loss. Doctors found two brain bleeds, and he was initially treated in the ICU before moving to a memory care facility. The cost of his care quickly rose above $10,000 each month, creating a significant financial hardship for his family. Mattel, the company Sweet worked for in the 1970s and 80s where he created the He-Man character for the popular 1980s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, helped by contributing $5,000 towards his expenses.

He-Man became a major pop culture phenomenon thanks to the imaginative work of Sweet, starting with the original action figure. Since then, numerous animated series have expanded the He-Man universe beyond the 1980s show. After one live-action movie was made previously, a new live-action reboot is coming to theaters this summer. Marlene is hoping the filmmakers will dedicate the new film to her late husband and has been trying to contact them about it.

In March, Marlene posted on the GoFundMe page that she’d been unable to contact the producers of the new He-Man and Masters of the Universe movie, scheduled for release on June 5th. She hoped they would dedicate the film to Roger, the creator of He-Man, and Mark Taylor, who created Skelator. She asked if anyone had a connection that could help reach the right people and expressed her gratitude for everyone’s support.

She shared how much Roger appreciated the support from Masters of the Universe fans. He originally designed and named He-Man, and spent years collaborating with other designers to create the characters and playsets that captivated children then and still do now. Roger enjoyed attending COMICON conventions over the years, where he loved connecting with fans about He-Man and Masters of the Universe. She had the pleasure of joining him at several, and it was wonderful to see him interact with his fans.

Rest in peace, Roger Sweet.

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2026-04-29 05:15