George Romero Finally Gets Star on Walk of Fame

Earlier this year, iconic horror filmmaker George Romero passed away from cancer, leaving behind a wake of adoring fans. Earlier today, Hollywood Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez shared on Twitter that the filmmaker will be honored as the 2,621st star to be dedicated on the iconic Los Angeles sidewalk.

“The fact that fans nominated Mr. Romero for the Walk of Fame star speaks volumes of how loved he was for his work in the horror film genre and for being the person he was,” Martinez shared in a statement. “Fortunately, prior to his passing he learned that he was selected for a star, and we are saddened that he won’t be here with us for his special day.”

As the horror genre is often looked down on as being a less valid form of art, fans quickly took to Twitter following his passing to start campaigns to get the filmmaker the honor he deserved. Luckily, those efforts were unnecessary, as the decision had been made before his passing.

Shaun of the Dead creator Edgar Wright and The Walking Dead producer Greg Nicotero will be speakers at the event, with Romero’s widow Suzanne Desrocher-Romero accepting the star on his behalf.

The filmmaker’s groundbreaking film was Night of the Living Dead in 1968, a film that continues to set the mold for the modern interpretation of a “zombie.” In his film, corpses come back to life to consume the flesh of the living, a spin on all previous incarnations of the “zombie” myth. Romero directed three sequels to this film over the next four decades, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead.

Romero wasn’t beholden to one subgenre, going on to make the vampire film Martin, the Stephen King adaptation The Dark Half and his tribute to horror and EC Comics, Creepshow, which he developed with King.

You can live-stream the ceremony on the Walk of Fame’s official site on October 25 at 2:30 PM ET.

[H/T SYFY]