'Piranha,' 'Little Shop' filmmaker Roger Corman dead at 98
May 12 (UPI) -- Filmmaker Roger Corman -- whose films include The Masque of the Red Death and the original, non-musical version of The Little Shop of Horrors -- has died at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 98.
Corman's other credits include the low-budgert, B-movies Cry Baby Killer, A Bucket of Blood, The Wild Angels, The Wasp Woman, Death Race 2000 and Piranha.
"It is with profound sadness, and boundless gratitude for his extraordinary life, that we remember our beloved husband and father, Roger Corman. He passed away on May 9th, at home in Santa Monica, California, surrounded by his family," a post on the auteur's Instagram page said Saturday.
"He is survived by his wife Julie and his daughters Catherine and Mary. He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him," the message added. "A devoted and selfless father, he was deeply loved by his daughters. His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, 'I was a filmmaker, just that.'"
His fellow writer-director-producer John Carpenter took to X to mourn Corman's death.
"Roger Corman, one of the most influential movie directors in my life, has passed away. It was my privilege to know him," Carpenter wrote.
"He was a great friend. He shaped my childhood with science fiction movies and Edgar Allen Poe epics. I'll miss you, Roger."
