Reggie Bannister, who became a horror icon for his role as the action hero fighting the evil Tall Man in the Phantasm franchise, died Sunday morning. He was 80.

Bannister died at his home in Crestline, his wife, Gigi Bannister, told TMZ. She said the actor was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War and later battled Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Born on Sept. 9, 1945, in Long Beach, California, Bannister went on to pursue a career in entertainment that spanned more than 40 years.

While he appeared in dozens of films and movies, he was most known for playing a fictionalized version of himself named Reggie in the Phantasm cult classic horror franchise, created by filmmaker Don Coscarelli. He played easygoing ice cream vendor turned shotgun-wielding action hero that took on Tall Man, the film’s main villain.

After starring in the franchise’s five movies, including Phantasm (1979), Phantasm II (1988), Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994), Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) and Phantasm: Ravager (2016), Bannister was eventually dubbed “the hardest working man in horror.”

Bannister’s other acting credits included Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990), Wishmaster (1997), Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), Journeyman (2005), Cemetery Gates (2006), Fallen Angels (2006), The Rage (2007), Sigma Die! (2007), The Quiet Ones (2010), Sawblade (2010), Primitive (2011), Bloody Bloody Bible Camp (2012), Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs. Tsunami (2013) and The Obsidian Curse (2016), among others. He also served as a producer on several projects.

In addition to acting, Bannister was also a prolific musician and singer-songwriter. Throughout his career, he released six albums spanning the rock, folk and country genres.

While the internet has been filled with fan theories around the new sci-fi adventure The End of Oak Street, producer J.J. Abrams is quick to cut some of them down.

The film, directed by David Robert Mitchell, follows a family (led by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor) whose suburban street is suddenly uprooted and lands among the dinosaurs in prehistoric times. In the lead-up to its release, some online have speculated that the movie is secretly connected to Abrams’ Cloverfield franchise. However, the filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter at the L.A. premiere that this was not the case.

“The only connection to our Cloverfield movies is that Ewan’s partner is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was the star of 10 Cloverfield Lane, who we were very lucky to get to work with and who I adore,” Abrams said. “So there was that, but other than that, people are just making connections that they happen to see.”

The producer also explained the decision to take on a dinosaur genre that has long been dominated by the Jurassic Park franchise, saying, “This was a movie set in suburban America — our neighborhoods, our backyards, our living rooms — so to have dinosaurs in that world, in our world, there was a juxtaposition that was so immediately exciting. It wasn’t just cool dinosaurs; it was dinosaurs interacting with things and people and our front lawn, and suddenly it was a very different experience even reading it.”

Aside from his day job, Abrams is also dad to pop star Gracie Abrams, who will soon be making her acting debut in an A24 movie from Babygirl director Halina Reijn. Of his daughter crossing over to join his side of the industry, the filmmaker said, “I know how hard she’s working to do all she’s doing so I’m thrilled for her. As a parent, all you can do is hope that the work that your kids do fulfills them, so as long as that’s what’s happening, and I know how hard she’s working, I’m thrilled for her.”

The End of Oak Street hits theaters on Friday.  

Telemundo‘s Operación Triunfo Season 1 finale was marred by sadness after the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday, August 10.

The singing competition was to be full of joy as one singer was crowned the winner of the talent show following weeks of arduous work.

Although the show is produced for the United States Latino audience, Telemundo produces the talent competition in Colombia.

At the top of the finale, host Natalia Téllez acknowledged the recent events that have devastated the country.

“Before starting our grand finale full of music and emotions, we want to take a couple of moments to send a big hug to all the Colombians who have been affected by the earthquake that took place this morning,” she said. “Colombia is part of the Operación Triunfo Estados Unidos family, because we produce the program here in RCN’s studios and there’s a big human team that works day by day to make this dream possible.”

She continued, “Tonight, our hearts are with all of you; it’s with all the families that are worried or anguished and all those that have lost their loved ones.”

Judges David Bisbal, Ximena Sariñana and Ana Bárbara were visibly affected by the events that took place in Colombia that have taken the lives of more than 100 people, at the time of this post. According to CNN, the 7.4-magnitude quake had its epicenter in San José del Palmar, about 149 miles west of Bogotá, the nation’s capital.

Bogotá is where RCN’s studios are and where Operación Triunfo films. Although the tremor was felt in the country’s capital, no major structural damage has been reported, according to the mayor Carlos F. Galán.

While Operación Triunfo ends tonight, Telemundo is also filming the new season of Top Chef VIP, a reality competition set to air on Tuesday, August 11, in the same time slot.