George A. Romero Dies At 77

LOS ANGELES, CA — Acclaimed Hollywood director George A. Romero, best known for "Night of the Living Dead," died Sunday, the Los Angeles Times is reporting. He was 77 years old.

Romero was fighting lung cancer, which his family described as a "brief, but aggressive" battle. He died in his sleep Sunday at home. His wife and daughter were at his side.

Romero co-wrote and directed “Night of the Living Dead." Released in 1968, it became the archetypal zombie movie, which inspired nearly every zombie-centric horror film that came after it, such as "28 Days Later," "The Walking Dead," "Dawn of the Dead" and "World War Z." Romero made the original "Dawn of the Dead" movie; the 2004 version was a remake of his original.

“A zombie film is not fun without a bunch of stupid people running around and observing how they fail to handle the situation," he has been quoted as saying.

Watch: Horror Movie Legend George Romero Dies At 77

Photo: George Romero at the Venice Film Festival in 2009. Date: 9 September 2009 Source: Originally posted to Flickr as 66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra) Author: Nicolas Genin via Wikimedia Commons