Animation artist Jim Smith, known for his work in The Ren & Stimpy Show, died from a heart attack on Friday, May 2, 2025. He was 70 years old.

Smith was a storyboard and layout artist and character designer, who co-founded the indie studio Spümcø, co-developed The Ren & Stimpy Show (he was also a character designer), and co-created The Ripping Friends.

His real name was James Carl Jobb (Jim Smith was his penname), and he was born on October 8, 1954, in Lubbock, Texas. Smith’s career began in the early 1980s as a layout and storyboard artist on shows like The Get-Along Gang, The Real Ghostbusters, Spiral Zone, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, and Beany and Cecil.

Smith animated the Rolling Stones’ music video for “Harlem Shuffle,” was a storyboard artist on Cool World, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Batman: The Animated Series, and he was the layout artist on Bjork’s music video for “I Miss You.” Throughout the 2000s, he worked on Ren & Stimpy ‘Adult Party Cartoon’, Samurai Jack, Tom and Jerry Tales, Over the Garden Wall, and Bigfoot Littlefoot.