Ray Harryhausen has died, aged 92.
The visual effects pioneer was known for creating some of the most iconic animated scenes in cinema history, including the famous skeleton sword fight in 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts.
His family confirmed the news of his passing on his Foundation’s Facebook page, stating that he died in London today (May 7).
Known for his stop-motion animation work, he was a multi-award winner, including Oscars and BAFTAs.
In a career spanning five decades, Harryhausen worked on many classic films including Mighty Joe Young, It Came From the Sea, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Mysterious Island, One Million Years BC, The Valley of Gwangi and Clash of the Titans.
Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam, George Lucas, John Landis and Nick Park are among several top filmmakers who have praised Harryhausen’s legacy in recent years.
Lucas said: “Ray has been a great inspiration to us all in special visual industry. The art of his earlier films, which most of us grew up on, inspired us so much. Without Ray Harryhausen, there would likely have been no Star Wars.”
Jackson stated: “The Lord of the Rings is my ‘Ray Harryhausen movie’. Without his life-long love of his wondrous images and storytelling it would never have been made – not by me at least”