He-Man creator Roger Sweet dies aged 91

He-Man creator Roger Sweet has died aged 91 after a battle with dementia.

The Mattel legend, who was the lead designer on for the toy manufacturer's Preliminary Design Department in the '70s and '80s, helped change the company's fortunes after they turned down a Star Wars deal after A New Hope in 1977.

He glued a Big Him action figure into a fighting stance and bulked up its body with clay, which became the prototype for He-Man and hit the markets in 1982.

According to TMZ, his wife Marlene confirmed he passed away peacefully in a care facility on Tuesday (28.04.26), while Sweet's cause of death is yet to be announced.

She previously revealed he had suffered a fall while walking on his own, and couldn't remember what had happened.

Doctors later discovered two bleeds on his brain, and he was taken into hospital before being placed in a memory care facility.

Marlene set up a GoFundMe to help fund the costs of over $10,000 a month, and donations quickly surpassed the original $50,000 goal, reaching almost $94k.

Among the donors was the Mattel Foundation, which gave $5,000 in tribute to Sweet's impact.

After the original He-Man toy hit shelves, it became a global phenomenon, and in 1983 animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe followed.

In the show, which was set on the planet of Eternia, a young Prince Adam transformed into the sword-wielding superhero and shouted: "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!”

The beloved cartoon ran for 130 episodes until 1985, spawning more merchandise and spinoffs including 1990's The New Adventures of He-Man, a couple of Masters of the Universe revivals, and two feature films.

Its legacy remains strong decades later, with a live action movie coming on June 5 from Amazon, MGM and Mettel.

Nicholas Galitzine will play the titular hero, with Jared Leto cast as Skeletor, Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn and Idris Elba playing Man-At-Arms.

Mattel has told TMZ that she hopes the producers of the film will dedicate the movie to the memory of her late husband.