Obituaries – Page 2 – Below the Line

Johnny Pizarro, Crew Member on Law & Order: Organized Crime, Dies at 31; Shooting Suspect Sought

July 19, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Johnny Pizarro, a 31-year-old crew member on Law & Order: Organized Crime, was shot and killed early Tuesday morning in New York while filming the NBC show’s third season according to media reports. Pizarro was reportedly sitting in his car in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn when an unknown suspect opened fire around 5:15 a.m. Pizarro was transported to Woodhull Hospital, where efforts to save him proved futile. Pizarro was […]

Monty Norman, Composer Behind the Iconic “James Bond Theme,” Dies at 94

July 11, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Monty Norman, who composed the iconic theme for the character of James Bond, died on Monday following a short illness. He was 94, and his death was announced on his official website. The British composer’s “James Bond Theme” was first used in the 1962 movie Dr. No and it has endured to this day, even though it is often mistakenly credited to arranger John Barry. Norman even won a lawsuit […]

Glen Trotiner, Assistant Director on Captain America and Independence Day, Dies at 65

June 21, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Glen Trotiner, who served as first or second assistant director on movies such as The Untouchables, Independence Day, and Captain America: The First Avenger, died on June 16 in New York. He was 65. Trotiner grew up in the Bronx and graduated from the DGA’s Training Program, after which he embarked on a long showbiz career as an assistant director and co-producer. His first gig as an AD was on […]

Car Crash on Netflix Series The Chosen One Leaves Two Actors Dead, Multiple Crew Members Hurt

June 18, 2022 Staff Comments Off

A car crash involving cast and crew from the Netflix series The Chosen One has left two actors dead and at least six other members of the production injured, according to multiple reports. Local media reported that the Chosen One staffers were riding in a van when it ran off the road and flipped in a desert area. Raymundo Garduño Cruz and Juan Francisco González Aguilar sustained fatal injuries in […]

Vangelis, Oscar-Winning Composer Behind Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner, Dies at 79

May 19, 2022 Jeff Sneider Comments Off

Vangelis, the Greek composer who won an Oscar for Chariots of Fire, died on Tuesday in a French hospital while being treated for COVID-19, according to Greek media reports. He was 79. Born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou on March 29, 1943, Vangelis was raised in Athens, Greece, where he taught himself piano and formed a rock band that played Beatles covers before he began working on film scores — a passion […]

Peng Wang, Budding Cinematographer and Chapman University Student, Dies at 29 in Sand Dune Accident

April 19, 2022 Jeff Sneider Comments Off

Peng Wang, a budding cinematographer who was studying his craft at Chapman University, died on Friday, April 15, following a sand dune accident in southern California that involved an off-road vehicle. He was 29 years old. Wang was with a group of three USC film students who were taking pictures on a large sand dune in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area near the Arizona and Mexico borders when their off-road […]

Oscar-Winning Editor David Brenner, Who Worked With Oliver Stone and Zack Snyder, Dies at 59

February 18, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Oscar-winning editor David Brenner, who cut nine of Oliver Stone‘s movies, died suddenly on Thursday morning at his home in West Hollywood. He was 59. Brenner had spent the past year editing James Cameron‘s long-awaited Avatar sequels, so, fortunately, he was able to spend his final days with his family. Brenner began working with Stone in 1986 when he served as an assistant to British film editor Claire Simpson on Platoon, Salvador, and Wall Street before taking the reins himself […]

Luster Bayless, Costume Designer on Many John Wayne Movies, Dies at 84

February 18, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Legendary Hollywood costume designer Luster Bayless, who dressed John Wayne in more than a dozen classic Westerns, including True Grit and The Shootist, died of natural causes last Friday at his home in Canyon Country, California. He was 84. Bayless was a Navy veteran who grew up in Mississippi and hitchhiked to Los Angeles, where he was promptly hired by Western Costume in 1959. He worked there for two years as […]

Ghostbusters Director Ivan Reitman Dies at 75, Leaves Behind a Rich Comedy Legacy

February 14, 2022 Jeff Sneider Comments Off

Some people grew up on Star Wars. Others on Star Trek. Some grew up on Marvel comics. Others were loyal DC readers. Some loved James Bond, while others preferred Indiana Jones. Of course, most people love all of these things. But me? I didn’t love any of them. I loved Ghostbusters, which by extension means that I loved Ivan Reitman, who was both the gatekeeper and keymaster of that beloved franchise. And now […]

George Spiro Dibie, TV Cinematographer and Union Leader, Dies at 90

February 9, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Veteran television cinematographer and longtime union leader George Spiro Dibie died on Tuesday. He was 90 years old. Born in Jerusalem, Dibie spent nearly 50 years working in television, getting his start in the mid-’70s with a job as a lighting consultant on Barney Miller. He went on to shoot more than 60 telefilms and 1,500 hours of primetime sitcoms, ultimately earning 12 Emmy nominations in total. He wound up winning […]