Swiss artist HR Giger, who won a visual effects Oscar for his work on Ridley Scott’s 1980 sci-fi horror film Alien, passed away Monday at the age of 74 after falling down a flight of stairs.
Born in 1940, Hans Ruedi Giger studied architecture and industrial design in Zurich and was known for creating strange dreamscapes. One of his pieces in particular – Necronom IV – inspired the alien killer in Alien.
In a statement to TIME, Ridley Scott said, “I am very saddened to hear of Giger’s passing. I think back on how committed and passionate he was, and then consequently, all the security we built up around his ‘lock up’ studios at Shepperton. I was the only one allowed the honor of going in, and I absolutely enjoyed every hour I spent with him there. He was a real artist and great eccentric, a true original, but above all, he was a really nice man. He will be missed.”
He also worked on Alien 3 (1992) and more recently, appeared in a documentary about director Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s unmade film adaptation of the book Dune.
A statement from Giger’s family said: “We are absolutely heartbroken over the loss of this loving husband, selfless friend and supremely talented artist. He truly was one of a kind, committed to his craft, to his friends and to his family. His warm personality, incredible generosity, and sharp sense of humor, were in stark contrast with the universe he depicted in his art.”
