brokehorrorfan:

I’m devastated to report that writer-director George A. Romero has passed away. He was 77.

Romero’s longtime producing partner, Peter Grunwald, released a statement that he passed away today in his sleep following a “brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer.” He was listening to the score of one of his favorite films, The Quiet Man, with his wife and daughter by his side.

Romero single-handedly created the modern zombie genre with his landmark 1968 independent film, Night of the Living Dead. The Godfather of Zombies, as he affectionately came to be called, followed it up with Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead.

The master of horror’s non-zombie efforts included Creepshow, Martin, The Crazies, Monkey Shines, Two Evil Eyes, The Dark Half, Bruiser, Season of the Witch, and Knightriders.

It was recently announced that Romero had co-written a new zombie film, Road of the Dead, which he was to produce with director Matt Birman. No word on if it will go forward, but we can only hope.

I had the pleasure of meeting Romero at a few public appearances over the years. I was always struck by the fact that, despite his age and long line, he always shared a little anecdote with everyone who came through his line, complete with a huge smile on his face.