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Director dies suddenly as daughter finds him 'unresponsive after Judo practice'

A film director, who was best known for his work on the horror series Killjoy for Full Moon Features, has died at the age of 57 and was pronounced dead at the scene

[John LeChago]

Horror movie legend John died suddenly at the age of 57(Image: IMDb)

Director John LeChago has tragically died at the age of 57. The filmmaker, best known for his work on the Killjoy series for Full Moon Features, passed away unexpectedly on 22 July.

His daughter, Lia, found him unresponsive and immediately called emergency services to the scene. Despite the efforts of paramedics, the Canadian director was pronounced dead at the scene.

His passing came just weeks after he had achieved his brown belt in Judo, a goal he had been working towards for several months. On Monday 27 July, Sawtelle Judo, the Californian judo centre where he trained, confirmed his death online and shared a statement from his family: "We honour the passing of John LeChago after he passed away at the end of Judo practice recently."

[He worked on the horror series Killjoy]

He worked on the horror series Killjoy(Image: IMDb)

"A dedicated and devoted member of our Judo community. We support the family in this time of need with this donation link. We also plan to host charity clinics on Saturday afternoon (August 18), hosted by Juan Morillo Sensei, Morillo Judo Academy," reports the Express.

"John LeChago was a long-time member and student under Morillo Sensei. He hosts these and other clinics in the Southland in memory of John. Clinic details will be posted by next week."

The heartbreaking news quickly spread across popular horror fan pages on Reddit, where users shared their condolences. One person wrote: "Such a great man. Going to really miss you, John", while another said: "John was a wonderful, creative, humble and sweet human being. We will all miss him very much."

A third added: "I worked on multiple movies with him. This is a big loss, R.I.P."

Another fan said: "A true indie filmmaker who could make so much happen on such tight budgets. Best to his family and friends during this terrible time."

One of his colleagues also wrote: "I had been with Full Moon for a while when John came in, and he quickly rose up the ladder, providing visual effects & directing as well as many other roles at the company."

"He was not only talented, but he was a nice guy, also. He will be missed. RIP John."

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