Fans of the popular Discovery Channel show Mythbusters found themselves confronted with shocking news as it was revealed that Grant Imahara, one of the show’s fixtures, died Monday night due to a brain aneurysm.
In a short statement sent out to Variety as soon as the news broke, Discovery confirmed the news of Imahara’s death through a spokesperson. The spokesperson affirmed that the 49-year-old Imahara was an “important part” of the Discovery family and that the news of his passing leaves them heartbroken.
Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter outlined Imahara’s career before and after Mythbusters. Before joining the popular television show in its third season, Imahara was an electrical engineer and roboticist that was part of the THX Labs associated with Lucasfilm. Imahara also worked on Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic division.
During his nine years with the company, he was the chief model maker specializing in animatronics. Some of the projects he worked on include Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Reloaded, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Matrix Revolutions, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Galaxy Quest, Van Helsing, and XXX: State of the Union.
When Imahara joined Mythbusters, it was at the invitation of former ILM co-worker Tony Belleci. As one of the show’s co-hosts, Imahara created machines that would be used to test myths. He also drove stunt cars and sky-dived.
Other notable projects that Imahara took part include putting in lights onto R2-D2 from Star Wars, working on the Energizer Bunny, and creating the robot Geoff Peterson for The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.
Imahara left Mythbusters in 2014 along with fellow co-hosts Belleci and Kari Byron, before reuniting with the two in 2016 for Netflix’s White Rabbit Project. White Rabbit Project ran for one season on the streaming platform.
Both Byron and Adam Savage, Imahara’s colleagues on Mythbusters, have come out with messages about his death. In a tweet that included a photo of her with Imahara and Belleci, Byron wished for a time machine.
Savage, on the other hand, said he was at a loss for words and praised Imahara’s skills as an engineer, artist, and performer. He said that he would miss his friend and affirmed that working with Imahara was a fun experience.
Imahara’s death is just the latest celebrity tragedy to happen in the past few days. Just recently, Glee star Naya Rivera was reported missing after her son was found alone on a boat. Her body was only recovered five days later, resulting in shock and sorry from her former co-stars on Glee.