The Swiss artist and designer of Ridley Scott's Alien, H. R. Giger, has died aged 74
reports
the BBC, after a fall down the stairs at his Zurich home.
Born in 1940, Giger was best known for his 'Xenomorph' alien
in Scott's sci-fi horror masterpiece for which he won a visual effects
Oscar in 1980.
He studied architecture and industrial design in Zurich and was known for creating strange dreamscapes.
Meticulously detailed, Giger's surrealist paintings were usually
produced in large formats and then reworked with an airbrush and usually
feature scenes of humans and machines fused together.
Giger described his style as "biomechanical".
One of his pieces in particular - Necronom IV - inspired the alien killer in Sir Ridley's hit film.
… British film director Edgar Wright tweeted: "RIP the great HR Giger. The Swiss surrealist who made night terrors into unforgettable art. We will miss you."
