Filmmaking legend Roger Corman has passed away. His passing follows an impressive career spanning several decades with hundreds of low-budget movies made under his watch.

Per Variety, Corman died on May 9 at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was surrounded by family members at the time of his passing, though no additional details were shared about the manner of his death. Corman was 98 years old.

A statement shared by the family noted, “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.’"

Corman is known for his work as a director and producer with hundreds of credits to his name. He excelled with low-budget movies, typically action, horror, and sci-fi, and had developed a strong fan following with the unique feel of his projects. Many major movie stars had gotten their start working with Corman on low-budget projects, including names like Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese.

The prolific filmmaker has made an impact on pop culture in many ways. After producing a film called The Fast and the Furious in 1955, producer Neal Moritz would strike a deal with Corman to use the same name for the more well-known franchise starring Vin Diesel. Quentin Tarantino and other respected filmmakers are also known to be big fans of Corman and the impact he's made in the world of film. He's been honored with cameos in major movies from directors who'd started with Corman movies, such as The Godfather Part II, Apollo 13, The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, and The Manchurian Candidate.

Corman is also known for his work on the original live-action Fantastic Four movie that was never officially released. The story of the doomed film's production was explored in the 2015 documentary Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four. Executive produced by Corman and Bernd Eichinger, the film has been pirated with clips making their way online, though it's officially unreleased.

The producer wrote about his life story in the 1990 memoir Maverick: How I Made 200 Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime. He was honored in 1998 at the Cannes Film Festival with the first-ever Producers Award. In 2006, he was bestowed with the David O. Selznick Award from the Producers Guild of America. He was also awarded an Oscar at the AMPA's first Governors Awards in 2009. More recently, Corman was honored in 2023 with the Distinguished Storyteller Award by the Los Angeles Press Club.

Corman's survivors include his wife, producer Julie Corman, along with his daughters, Catherine and Mary.

Source: Variety