Indie horror director John LeChago has sadly died at the age of 57, it has been confirmed. On July 22, the beloved Hollywood director, who is best known for his work on the Killjoy series for Full Moon Features, passed away unexpectedly. He was found unresponsive by his daughter, Lia, who immediately called first responders to the scene.

Unfortunately, the Canadian director was announced dead at the scene despite the efforts of his teammate and paramedics on site. His death came weeks after he earned his brown belt in Judo, an achievement he had been fighting for for months.

On Monday (July 27), the Californian judo centre, Sawtelle Judo, confirmed his death online as they issued a statement on behalf of his family online. It read: "We honour the passing of John LeChago after he passed away at the end of Judo practice recently.

"A dedicated and devoted member of our Judo community. We support the family in this time of need with this donation link. We also plan to host charity clinics on Saturday afternoon (August 18), hosted by Juan Morillo Sensei, Morillo Judo Academy.

"John LeChago was a long-time member and student under Morillo Sensei. He hosts these and other clinics in the Southland in memory of John. Clinic details will be posted by next week."

It didn't take long for the tragic news to be shared by popular horror fan pages on Reddit, which shared their sympathies online. One user penned: "Such a great man. Going to really miss you, John", as another agreed: "John was a wonderful, creative, humble and sweet human being. We will all miss him very much."

A third echoed: "I worked on multiple movies with him. This is a big loss, R.I.P." A fourth chimed in with: "A true indie filmmaker who could make so much happen on such tight budgets. Best to his family and friends during this terrible time."

Meanwhile, another penned: "I loved the Killjob series; he always seemed like a genuine guy." Another colleague added: "I had been with Full Moon for a while when John came in, and he quickly rose up the ladder, providing visual effects & directing as well as many other roles at the company.

"He was not only talented, but he was a nice guy, also. He will be missed. RIP John." John is survived by his wife and their two children.