Manners is best known for producing and/or directing such critical and fan favorite X-Files episodes as "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Leonard Betts", the episode where fans learned that Scully had cancer.
More recently, Manners lended his dark and inventive style to the CW's Supernatural, helping creator Eric Kripke fine-tune the series' tone, which features the brothers Winchester hunting down various demons.
In a statement from Kripke regarding the passing of his colleague: "Everyone at 'Supernatural' is walking around in a daze, shocked and absolutely devastated. Kim was a brilliant director; more than that, he was a mentor and friend. He was one of the patriarchs of the family, and we miss him desperately. He gave so much to 'Supernatural,' and everything we do on the show, now and forever, is in memory of him."
Every Supernatural season finale fell into Manners' wheelhouse, as did this season's premiere, "Lazarus Rising". In addition to working on both X-Files and Supernatural, Manners also directed episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Mission: Impossible.
Fans of the show will forever miss one of genre television's most talented storytellers.
