In some utterly devastating news, John Schnepp has passed away at the age of just 51.

A huge favourite of many a genre fan, Schnepp suffered a stroke last week and sadly passed away on Thursday. Holly Payne – Jon’s long-time partner – had been updating fans on his condition via social media over the last week or so, and now she’s had to reveal the tragic news that Jon Schnepp has now passed away.

The hardest thing I’ve ever had to write. Our statement regarding @JonSchnepp from myself & the Schnepp family. Our hearts are heavy. Please respect our privacy. We are still raising money for his costly medical expenses. Thank you for your support. https://t.co/2qg7a9LcJG pic.twitter.com/hBfW7l7A5M

— Holly Payne @TDOSLWH (@hollykpayne) July 20, 2018

To many, Schnepp will be best known as the man behind the fantastic The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? documentary that took at look at Tim Burton’s Nicolas Cage-starring Superman movie that ultimately never happened. In addition to that, Schnepp worked on huge genre faves such as Metalocalypse, The Venture Brothers, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and The ABCs of Death.

But more than all of that, Jon Schnepp was first and foremost a fan. Never anything but passionate, Schnepp was famed for his love and knowledge of what he did. From the point of your writer here, I was lucky enough to grab some time with Jon and Holly during the press work for The Death of Superman Lives. That was only half an hour or so, but it was 30 minutes spent geeking out about Superman, Blade, David Hasselhoff’s Nick Fury, George Miller’s doomed Justice League Mortal, and a whole host of other topics. But in that short time, you got nothing but positive, passionate vibes and were instantly made to feel welcome and at ease. And it seems like that was the case with pretty much any and everyone who met Jon Schnepp.

For those of you who followed Jon’s work, you’ll be well aware of Collider Heroes and his spells on Collider Movie Talk. And Collider have put out their own heartfelt response to this tragic news:

Over the past, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help with Jon’s medical bills, and that page will remain open to donations.

The thoughts of all here at STARBURST go out to the family, friends, and fans of Jon Schnepp. Rest in peace, sir.