Special effects legend Stan Winston has died at the age of 62, according to several sources including the BBC and AICN.
The man who was often called a pioneer of practical effects died on Sunday at home in California, having finally lost a long-running battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells.
Winston won four Oscars for his work in effects, which included films such as Jurassic Park, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, Predator and Iron Man among many others. He was currently working on the fourth Terminator film. Tributes have poured in from several high-profile figures, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who stated that: “The entertainment industry has lost a genius, and I lost one of my best friends.” Similar statements were made by Jon Favreau and James Cameron.
Winston was born in Virginia on 7 April 1946, and tried his hand at acting after graduating from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville in 1968 before he moved into working behind the camera. He is survived by his wife, brother, sister, son, daughter and four grandchildren.