Swiss artist and designer HR Giger died in a hospital in Switzerland on Monday. He succumbed to the numerous injuries on his body as he fell down from the stairs at his home in Zurich. Giger was 74 years old and his body could not bear the injury from the fall. He was born Hans Ruedi Giger in the year 1940. He studied industrial design and architecture in Zurich.
His designs have always been something out of the ordinary and he was always way ahead of his contemporaries in terms of the thought and execution that goes behind making those creepy designs. He is a creator known for fusing machinery with human bodies which is also termed as Surreal Biomechanics.
He is known for creating the xenomorph design of the alien in the famous sci-fi movie franchise Alien directed by Ridley Scott. His work during the 1970s was considered by many as futuristic and he deservedly won the Oscar in the category of visual effects for Alien in 1980. Ridley Scott was shocked to hear about the death of Giger and expressed his sadness at the passing away of Giger.
Scott described Giger as a man who was passionate and committed to his field of work. Giger had an amazing collection of designs which he kept locked-up inside his studio. He allowed only Scott to enter the studio. According to Scott Giger was a true original.
Giger’s family issued a statement saying that he was a generous, humorous and a warm person whose work was in stark contrast to his personality. His family also expressed their gratitude for the numerous tributes paid to him. He gave his inputs to all the three Alien movies and his last appearance was in a documentary movie about director Alejandro Jodorowsky.
He will be sorely missed by the film fraternity in both Europe and the US.