Fall on Set of Walking Dead Proves Fatal

Sad news from the world of The Walking Dead: John Bernecker, the stuntman who suffered severe head injuries after falling Wednesday on the Georgia set of the AMC series, has died, TMZ reports. Variety has also received confirmation of Bernecker's death, citing the Coweta County coroner, who says the 33-year-old died at Atlanta Medical Center of blunt force trauma to the head. The medical examiner tells TMZ Bernecker passed away Thursday evening after his ventilator was turned off, though because he'd been on a ventilator since Wednesday, Wednesday was listed as the official date of death.

Bernecker reportedly had family and friends in the room when his ventilator was turned off. Said to be among them: his girlfriend, who's also a stunt performer on The Walking Dead. Bernecker had been working on the set when he fell more than 20 feet onto concrete. Although the swelling on his brain began to die down Thursday, it started back up again and his status deteriorated from there, a source tells TMZ. In addition to his stint on the AMC show, Bernecker had also worked on shows such as HBO's True Detective and FOX's Scream Queens, as well as such movies as Logan, The Fate of the Furious, and Get Out, among many others, per IMDb. AMC has temporarily shut down production after the accident. (More The Walking Dead stories.)