Another legend of cinema has passed away, and while the details are few it does not mean that the news is not deeply saddening, because it is.

Winston was an Academy award winning (”Terminator II” for make-up and visual effects), “Alien” (visual effects), Jurassic Park (visual effects) as well as having been nominated for “Predators,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Heartbeeps,” “The Lost World,” “Batman Returns” and “Artificial Intelligence: AI.”

As a man who became known for this behind the scenes creation of revolutionary creatures, and his work is and will always be remembered as nothing less than iconic. We recently saw his work in “Iron Man” and we will see more of his genius in the upcoming “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.”

Rest in Peace Mr. Winston.

Some testimonies from filmmakers who have worked with Stan in the past, courtesy of AICN.

James Cameron: “We’ve lost a great artist, a man who made a contribution to the cinema of the fantastic that will resound for a long long time. I don’t need to list the indelible characters he and his team of artists brought to the screen. Readers of your site know them. We all know Stan’s work, the genius of his designs. But not even the fans necessarily know how great he was as a man. I mean a real man — a man who knows that even though your artistic passion can rule your life, you still make time for your family and your friends. He was a good father, and he raised two great kids. His wife of 37 years, Karen, was with him in the beginning, helping him make plaster molds in their garage for low budget gigs on TV movies, and she was with him at the end.”

Jon Favreau: “He was a giant. I was blessed to have known him. I worked with him on both Zathura and Iron Man. He was experienced and helped guide me while never losing his childlike enthusiasm. He was the king of integrating practical effects with CGI, never losing his relevance in an ever changing industry. I am proud to have worked with him and we were looking forward to future collaborations. I knew that he was struggling, but I had no idea that he would be gone so soon. Hollywood has lost a shining star.”

Frank Darabont: “One of the blessings of being in movies is when you meet icons whose work you deeply admire and they turn out to be fantastic people. They’re the ones you’re honored to encounter along the way, the people who are kind and gracious and inspiring in addition to being superbly talented. They exhibit genuine humanity and touch your heart in various ways, and you foolishly figure they’ll always be around to get to know better as the years go on. But then they are taken far too soon, and you’re left with the deep and lasting regret of not having gotten to know them nearly as well as you’d wanted or expected to. I’ve met and lost a number of extraordinary people who fall into this category, among them Roddy McDowell, John Frankenheimer, Sidney Pollack, Dave Stevens, and John Alvin. Stan Winston now sadly joins my list.”