Stephen King leads tributes pouring out for horror legend George A Romero
Stephen King has lead the tributes to the legendary George A Romero, the creator of ‘Night of the Living Dead’, who has died at the age of 77.
Romero died on Sunday, following a ‘brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer’, according to his longtime production partner Peter Grunwald.
King tweeted:
Sad to hear my favorite collaborator–and good old friend–George Romero has died. George, there will never be another like you.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 16, 2017
Fellow horror legend John Carpenter added:
George Romero was a great director, the father of modern horror movies. He was my friend and I will miss him. Rest in peace, George.
— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) July 16, 2017
Others including ‘League of Gentlemen’ and ‘Sherlock’ star Mark Gatiss, Robert Rodriguez and James Gunn also paid their respects.
A fond farewell to charming, legendary zombie king George Romero. 'Martin' is one of my favourite horrors. An honour to have met him. RIP pic.twitter.com/8ZIwjxFrmx
— Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) July 16, 2017
Here's to the great George Romero, the man who started it all! A true legend and a huge inspiration. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/Vl3TP46L0W
— Robert Rodriguez (@Rodriguez) July 16, 2017
The world has lost a master. Thank you for the inspiration. You changed my life with your art. You will be missed. #georgeromero #dotd
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder) July 17, 2017
My first ever movie job: I was an art department intern on DAY OF THE DEAD. I made zombie vomit for Bub.
RIP George Romero, one-of-a-kind pic.twitter.com/18Vz6w5tEt— greg mottola (@gregmottola) July 16, 2017
RIP #GeorgeRomero. You made me want to make movies, and helped me to find meaning in monsters. Thank you. I love you.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 16, 2017
Just heard the news about George Romero. Hard to quantify how much he inspired me & what he did for cinema. Condolences to his family. ❤️
— Eli Roth (@eliroth) July 16, 2017
Edgar Wright, the ‘Shaun of the Dead’ director, penned an entire essay about his debt to Romero, and about their friendship.
“It’s fair to say that without George A. Romero, I would not have the career I have now,” he wrote.
Remembering George Romero: Some words on the 'King Of The Zombies'. https://t.co/eSaKaR5CM4 pic.twitter.com/nSxksj1bTO
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) July 17, 2017
“A lot of people owe George a huge debt of gratitude for the inspiration. I am just one of many.”
He also recalled the time that Romero watched the movie, and then got in touch to tell him and star Simon Pegg what he thought.
“I remember standing in my flat in Islington when I got the call from him and he couldn’t have been warmer and kinder about the movie,” he said.
“I remember him saying that it was ‘an absolute blast’. That indeed became the sole poster quote for the movie in the United States. I frequently think back to this moment of standing in my house as the moment my life truly changed and the world got smaller.”
Romero is survived by his wife Suzanne, and his three children.
Read More:
Marvel’s Black Panther: new photos/plot details
Charlize Theron teases Mad Max prequel
Controversy over Tarantino’s Manson movie plans