According to Swiss television station SRF, the Swiss artist Hans Ruedi Giger, better known as HR Giger, has died at the age of 74 from injuries sustained in a fall.
The celebrated artist was best known for inspiring and working on the designs of Sir Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror masterpiece Alien, for which he won a Visual Effects Oscar in 1980.
Inspired by HP Lovecraft, Giger’s nightmarish compendium of work Necronomicon inspired numerous aspects of Scott’s Alien. One piece in particular – Necronom IV – inspired the titular alien killer which would go on to be called a xenomorph. He also designed the derelict ship, the alien eggs and face-huggers found within, the infant xenomorph famous for bursting from John Hurt’s chest and the Space Jockey – which became the subject of Scott’s Alien prequel Prometheus in 2012.
Giger also worked on Poltergeist II in 1986, Alien 3 in 1992 and Species in 1995.
Condolences from all here at FTN go out to Giger’s family and friends.
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