Walking Dead stuntman John Bernecker has died after suffering an accident on the show’s set in Georgia. According to Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk, Bernecker died at Atlanta Medical Center on Wednesday evening of blunt force trauma due to his fall. He was reportedly placed on a ventilator after the accident, which was turned off on Thursday.
Bernecker fell more than 20 feet off a balcony onto a concrete floor, suffering a serious head injury that required him to be transported to a nearby hospital by helicopter. AMC announced Thursday that they had temporarily shut down production on the show’s eighth season in the wake of the tragedy.
Bernecker is a veteran stunt performer and fight choreographer. Per his IMDB page, he has worked on projects such as “Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” parts 1 and 2, and “Logan,” among many others. He is also listed as having worked on upcoming films like Marvel’s “Black Panther” and Dwayne Johnson’s “Rampage.” He has been an actor in several films, with small parts in “Logan,” “The Last Witch Hunter,” “Goosebumps,” and an episode of Season 1 of “True Detective.”
A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said on Thursday the guild is investigating the accident.
“We are saddened to report that John Bernecker, a talented stuntman for ‘The Walking Dead’ and numerous other television shows and films, suffered serious injuries from a tragic accident on set,” AMC said in a statement on Thursday. “He was immediately transported to an Atlanta hospital and we have temporarily shut down production.”
