Jon Schnepp, a writer and director who always poured his love of genre and his own fan enthusiasm into his projects, has died. He was 51.
Born in 1967, Schnepp's early career was a mixture of directing the likes of the Upright Citizens Brigade TV series and a variety of duties on animated shows including Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast To Coast and The Venture Bros.
He served as one of the key writers, directors and designers on sci-fi TV series Metalocalypse and became a regular contributor to shows and websites celebrating movies and television.
Aside from his TV work, Schnepp was best known for directing the documentary The Death Of Superman Lives: What Happened?, chronicling the struggles behind Tim Burton's unmade Superman movie.
His fiancee, Holly Payne, announced his death via a Twitter post. "It is with a broken heart that I announce the passing of our beloved Jon Schnepp, who died peacefully on July 19, 2018.
Jon ultimately succumbed to the effects of a massive stroke. He had a blood clot removed from his left carotid artery, but the bleeding could not be stopped. Irreparable and catastrophic damage was caused to both hemispheres and all brain activity ceased. His sister Deborah and I had to make the difficult decision to take him off of life support. There was no possible way for him to recover. Please understand. I spent the last hour of his life with him holding him, laying my head across his massive chest, kissing him, stroking his hair, playing his favorite songs, and telling him over and over again how much I love him. My life has been forever changed by Jon. I feel endlessly grateful to have shared 16 years of laughter, love and incredible adventures together, including the making of a feature film, as well as a television series that I hope to complete and release later this year in his honor.
"Jon's mother Miriam, his father David, his sister Deborah and I are devastated beyond measure. We appreciate your love and support, and most importantly your understanding of our privacy at this time as we grieve."
Schnepp's medical costs are considerable and if you wish to help his family deal with the financial side, there is a gofundme page set up.
Keep up to date with all the latest movie news, click here to subscribe to Empire on Great Magazines and have the latest issue delivered to your door every month.