Wes Craven, the director behind A Nightmare On Elm Street and The Hills Have Eyes, has died at the age of 76. The Ohio-born maverick, known for his devotion for his fans, had been suffering from bran cancer.
After making his name in 1972 with The Last House On The Left, Craven went on to direct, write, produce and star in numerous genre favourites, including Swamp Thing, The People Under The Stairs and the Scream series. Along the way, he discovered stars like Johnny Depp, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone. Despite increasing illness, he remained active as a writer right up until the time of his death. As well as scripts, he wrote books, and he recently completed a graphic novel in collaboration with Steve Niles.
Describing him as "a brilliant, kind, gentle and very funny man," Robert Englund, who worked with him on numerous films as supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger, said that with his death Hollywood had lost a rare species.
Craven is survived by his producer wife, Iya Labunka.
