Horror icon and legendary filmmaker George A. Romero has died at the age of 77. He is best known for bringing the modern take on zombies to the big screen with his landmark Night of the Living Dead film and its follow-ups.

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According to a statement released to the LA Times from his longtime producing partner Peter Grunwald, Romero died Sunday in the wake of a "brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer." He passed away while listening to the score of 1952's The Quiet Man -- one of his favorite films -- alongside his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero.

Having started the modern zombie genre with 1968's Night of the Living Dead -- which he directed and co-wrote with John A. Russo -- Romero followed-up the instant classic with 1978’s Dawn of the Dead, 1985’s Day of the Dead, 2005’s Land of the Dead, 2007’s Diary of the Dead and 2009’s George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead.

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Additionally, Romero directed 1973’s The Crazies, 1981’s Knightriders and episodes of the 1970s TV documentary The Winners.