The Devastating Death Of Halloween Stuntman James Winburn
James Winburn, a stuntman known for his work in various films, including John Carpenter's masterpiece, "Halloween," died on Saturday, November 19, 2022, his manager confirmed. He was 85 years old.
Winburn had been a big name in the world of stunt work for a long time. With an impressive resume under his belt, Winburn has been in everything from "The Six Million Dollar Man" to the 1982 "TRON" and, of course, "Halloween." As a stunt double, Winburn took on the more dangerous scenes that the actors couldn't safely do and none are more recognizable than his work on "Halloween" as Michael Myers.
Beloved by the horror community, Winburn was often remembered for his iconic scene as The Shape. The scene he's often most recognized for as a stand-in for Michael's actors — Nick Castle and Tony Moran — is the moment when Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasence) shoots Michael repeatedly in hopes of finally bringing Michael's murderous rampage to an end. After taking several bullets, Michael stumbles back and falls over the edge of the balcony in the most dramatic death imaginable. Of course, everyone knows this doesn't actually succeed in killing Michael, but thanks to Winburn's stunt work, it felt like a very convincing death. Until The Shape got up and disappeared, anyway.
Winburn was open about his love of the horror community and how grateful he always was to the fans. Even at 85, he was still visiting horror conventions. Just a month before his death, Winburn made an appearance at the U.K.'s For the Love of Horror fan convention and was scheduled to attend Monster-Mania in November, per Deadline.
The details of James Winburn's death aren't public
Not much is known about the circumstances of James Winburn's passing. All that's been released is that he came down with an illness that hasn't been disclosed to the public. At this time, no further information has been announced on the circumstances surrounding his death, but his absence has already been felt.
According to Deadline, Winburn was supposed to be at this month's Monster-Mania in Pennsylvania, but sadly, he couldn't make his scheduled appearance. "James was always appreciative of the Halloween fans and truly enjoyed meeting everyone," read a statement from the event's organizer. "Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and fans."
Despite the upsetting news of James Winburn's passing, the stuntman had a lot of projects under his belt for fans to appreciate and revisit for decades to come. With nearly 80 credits of stuntwork under his belt, fans will forever be able to see his incredible work in films and TV shows like "Halloween," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "The Night Stalker," "Beyond Evil," and many more.
In addition to all of his stuntwork, Winburn's acted in several projects, including "Hunter," "Island of Witches," and "Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen." He even directed three films, "Miami Beach Cops," "The Death Merchant," and "Evil Altar."
Monopoly Events, the organizers behind the For the Love of Horror convention that Winburn appeared at a month prior to his death, tweeted this heartfelt message following the stuntman's passing. "James was an absolute pleasure to work [with] and shared some amazing stories with everyone over the weekend," the post read. "Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans."