Stan Winston has passed away

Ain't It Cool News seems to be the first place breaking the sad news that Stan Winston died last night of cancer...

Stan Winston was the special effects and makeup genius responsible for some of the most iconic images to burst out of the movie screen of the past thirty years. Winston was the man who made the Terminator function across three films, unleashed the Aliens (and then Predator), brought dinosaurs back to life in Jurassic Park and its sequels, made us believe the mecha of A.I., and scores of other films over the years. Most recently he created the armor and other effects for the hit movie Iron Man.

Along with Aliens, you wanna know what my personal favorite example of Stan Winston's work is? It's The Thing from 1982. It could only have been Stan Winston who could turn someone like Wilford Brimley into one of the most sickeningly horrific creatures ever shown in a film. Or the scene where Norris has his heart attack (as in: his heart attacks and bites right through Copper's arms).

Think I'll pop The Thing in the DVD player tonight after our rehearsal for Children of Eden, and toast Winston's memory.