Walking Dead stuntman dies after 'tragic accident'
UPDATE: John Bernecker, the stuntman who suffered serious injuries while shooting a stunt on ‘The Walking Dead’, has now died.
Variety reports “Bernecker died at Atlanta Medical Center on Wednesday evening of blunt force drama due to his fall.”
ORIGINAL STORY: “We are saddened to report that John Bernecker, a talented stuntman for ‘The Walking Dead’ and numerous other television shows and films, suffered serious injuries from a tragic accident on set,” read a statement from AMC.
“He was immediately transported to an Atlanta hospital and we have temporarily shut down production. We are keeping John and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
According to Deadline, he suffered ‘massive head injuries’ following a 20-foot fall onto concrete after losing his footing, and is now on life support.
Tweeting, Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie on the show, said:
Dear Walking Dead Family, please keep John Bernecker, our stuntman and his family in your prayers today. ❤️
— Lauren Cohan (@LaurenCohan) July 13, 2017
A rep for the Screen Actors Guild added: “We have been informed of a serious injury to a SAG-AFTRA member on the set of ‘The Walking Dead’ and are investigating the situation.
“As always, the safety and security of our members and others on set is of crucial concern to us and we are focused on this in our investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the performer and his family.”
Bernecker has appeared as a stunt performer in a wealth of movies, recently including ‘The Fate of the Furious’, ‘Get Out’, ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Logan’.
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