Hollywood is mourning the sudden death of filmmaker Josh Becker — a behind-the-scenes legend best known for his early collaborations with Evil Dead mastermind Sam Raimi and cult star Bruce Campbell. He was 67.
Becker’s sister, Pamela, confirmed the heartbreaking news on Facebook, writing, “I am in a state of disbelief and profoundly heartbroken to share the loss of my brother Josh Becker. Literally, NO WORDS,” alongside a candid photo of the two together.
According to an online obituary, Becker passed away on December 7. No cause of death has been revealed.
A Detroit native, Becker’s filmmaking roots ran deep. He started making scrappy Super 8 films in junior high with childhood friends Raimi and Campbell—long before their gory classic The Evil Dead splattered its way into horror history in 1981. On that first film, Becker wore multiple hats—helping with lighting, sound, and production details—and even kept a now-famous journal chronicling the wild shoot, which lives on in Evil Dead Archives.
He popped up again as a “fake shemp” (Raimi’s affectionate term for body doubles) in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, and even made a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in Darkman.
Outside the horror cult world, Becker built an impressive TV résumé, reuniting with Raimi’s crew for Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Jack of All Trades, and more. He also directed indie favorites like Running Time and Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except and penned the industry go-to guide The Complete Guide to Low-Budget Feature Filmmaking.
Becker is survived by his sister, Pam Becker; brother-in-law, Skip George; step-sister, Wendy Davis; nephew, Ari Siesser; and his beloved cat, Ike.
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