Jens Nygaard Knudsen, the designer who put a face — and body — to the world of LEGOs as fans know it, hasdied. He was 78.The LEGO Group confirmed the news on Monday,writingon Instagram that the Denmark-based company was “very sad” to hear of his passing.“Thank you Jens, for your ideas, imagination, and inspiring generations of builders ❤️,” LEGO captioned a photo of Knudsen proudly showing off his creations.LEGO’s Chief Marketing Officer Julia Goldin told PEOPLE in a statement that Knudsen was a much-loved member of the LEGO family.“Jens spent 32 years with the LEGO Group and made an impact few can match,” the statement read. “He was a true visionary whose ideas brought joy and inspiration to millions of builders around the world and we thank him for helping to create some of our most loved play themes such as LEGO Castle, LEGO Space and of course, the iconic LEGO minifigure.”Matthew Ashton, vice president of design at the toy company as well as executive producer ofThe LEGO Movie, reflected on Knudsen’s legacy,writingon Twitter that he was “truly one of the unsung heroes of the toy industry.”“Honestly, on reflection it is such an honour that this little piece of toy history is now under the care of myself & the @LEGO_Group Design team,” Ashtontweeted. “I promise as long as my #LEGO career lasts, I will protect, care and nurture this little fella/gal! Thank you Jens for #LEGOMinifigure.”According to news agencyAFP, Knudsen suffered from ALS and died in hospice care on Wednesday near the town of Hvide Sande in Denmark.Former colleague Niels Milan Pedersen raved about Knudsen’s unmatched creativity to the news outlet.“His imagination was so fantastic,” he said of Knudsen, who reportedly worked for LEGO between 1968 to 2000. “If we had a brainstorm, it was more like a brain hurricane because he had so many ideas.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest storiesIn 2018, the LEGO Minifigure celebrated 40 years of existence after Knudsen anthropomorphized the toy for the brick world in 1978.Though the designs of the tiny yellow figures have evolved over the decades to include more variations on the original smiley face, Knudsen’s initial imagination remains.“We are really lucky that the original Minifigure was designed in a way that gave us an extremely simplistic figure, which acts as the perfect blank canvas for us to now apply any sort of character,” Ashton toldNewsweekin 2018. “The figure was originally designed with its functionality probably being pretty high on the design criteria to deliver great role-play experiences.”He added: “I would imagine that the original designers had little idea that the figure they created would ultimately turn into such a brand icon.”

Jens Nygaard Knudsen, the designer who put a face — and body — to the world of LEGOs as fans know it, hasdied. He was 78.

The LEGO Group confirmed the news on Monday,writingon Instagram that the Denmark-based company was “very sad” to hear of his passing.

“Thank you Jens, for your ideas, imagination, and inspiring generations of builders ❤️,” LEGO captioned a photo of Knudsen proudly showing off his creations.

LEGO’s Chief Marketing Officer Julia Goldin told PEOPLE in a statement that Knudsen was a much-loved member of the LEGO family.

“Jens spent 32 years with the LEGO Group and made an impact few can match,” the statement read. “He was a true visionary whose ideas brought joy and inspiration to millions of builders around the world and we thank him for helping to create some of our most loved play themes such as LEGO Castle, LEGO Space and of course, the iconic LEGO minifigure.”

Matthew Ashton, vice president of design at the toy company as well as executive producer ofThe LEGO Movie, reflected on Knudsen’s legacy,writingon Twitter that he was “truly one of the unsung heroes of the toy industry.”

“Honestly, on reflection it is such an honour that this little piece of toy history is now under the care of myself & the @LEGO_Group Design team,” Ashtontweeted. “I promise as long as my #LEGO career lasts, I will protect, care and nurture this little fella/gal! Thank you Jens for #LEGOMinifigure.”

According to news agencyAFP, Knudsen suffered from ALS and died in hospice care on Wednesday near the town of Hvide Sande in Denmark.

Former colleague Niels Milan Pedersen raved about Knudsen’s unmatched creativity to the news outlet.

“His imagination was so fantastic,” he said of Knudsen, who reportedly worked for LEGO between 1968 to 2000. “If we had a brainstorm, it was more like a brain hurricane because he had so many ideas.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

In 2018, the LEGO Minifigure celebrated 40 years of existence after Knudsen anthropomorphized the toy for the brick world in 1978.

Though the designs of the tiny yellow figures have evolved over the decades to include more variations on the original smiley face, Knudsen’s initial imagination remains.

“We are really lucky that the original Minifigure was designed in a way that gave us an extremely simplistic figure, which acts as the perfect blank canvas for us to now apply any sort of character,” Ashton toldNewsweekin 2018. “The figure was originally designed with its functionality probably being pretty high on the design criteria to deliver great role-play experiences.”

He added: “I would imagine that the original designers had little idea that the figure they created would ultimately turn into such a brand icon.”

source: people.com