Another sad day in fandom. After a “brief but aggressive” battle with lung cancer, George Romero, the genius who brought us “Night of the Living Dead”, passed away in his sleep this morning.

According to a statement made by his producing partner, Peter Grunwald, Romero passed away while listening to the score of 1952’s The Quiet Man, which was one of his favorite films.

He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero, who were by his side at the time of the filmmaker’s death.