George A. Romero, father of the zombie film, is dead at 77
NEW YORK — George Romero, whose classic “Night of the Living Dead” and other horror films turned zombie movies into social commentaries and who saw his flesh-devouring undead spawn countless imitators, remakes and homages, has died. He was 77.
Romero died Sunday following a battle with lung cancer, said his family in a statement provided by his manager Chris Roe. Romero’s family said he died while listening to the score of “The Quiet Man,” one of his favourite films, with his wife, Suzanne Desrocher, and daughter, Tina Romero, by this side.
Roe told The Canadian Press in an interview from Los Angeles that Romero died in Toronto, where he had lived since 2004.
Romero “was a gentle giant, and one of the kindest, most giving human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing,” Roe said Sunday, noting he and the director had been friends for 15 years.