The father of the original Faces of Death, John Alan Schwartz has passed away. Known for creating one of the most notorious films in movie history, 1978’s Faces of Death, found infamy through its visceral depictions of death, which at times, spliced together real-life footage, with overt portrayals of blood and carnage.
It should be noted that Schwartz’s opted to use the name Conan le Cilarie, in the credits, as the writer and director of the now, legendary movie. Conan le Cilarie continued to be the name used in the numerous sequels that followed the success of the original Faces of Death.
Joan Alperin-Schwartz, John Alan Schwartz’s wife, made the sad announcement on her late husband’s Facebook page, which can be read down below:
“This morning John passed away. He is now with the angels. But I have a feeling he will be back. He died peacefully. He was one of the funniest, most unique, original, creative and magical person I’ve ever known. Living with him was an adventure. He cried at sad movies, laughed hard and made others laugh hard. He’d wake up everyday with a new idea for a tv show or a movie. He brought the writer out in me and brought me coffee and a bagels in bed every day for twenty two years. He shared the same passion for travel as I did and we went on some really extraordinary adventures and threw some amazing parties. John was a great cook and loved having dinner parties…Although he never ate at them. He was always too full from tasting the food he was creating. He was as passionate about animals as I was. He loved talking to people and he’d ask them the most intimate questions and because people knew was being sincere they would reveal to him there deepest secrets. He was definitely one of a kind. I think John and I knew each other in another life. The second I saw him I knew in every cell of my body that we were going to be together forever and on some level we will be. Goodbye Johnny. You will be missed.”
CGMagazine gives our deepest condolences to the Schwartz’s family, may he rest in peace, while his iconic films continue to disgust and inspire horror fans into the future.