The Walking Dead And Other Casts Pay Tribute To John Bernecker

On Wednesday afternoon, tragedy struck the set of AMC‘s The Walking Dead. Stuntman John Bernecker was rehearsing a fight scene on a balcony on set of the show’s eighth season when he fell more than 20 feet to a concrete floor.

Bernecker’s injuries lead to his passing on Thursday afternoon.

At the age of 33, Bernecker was deep into an already accomplished career. The actor/stuntman tallies over 90 film credits to his name, many of which have yet to be released. In addition to working on Season 8 of The Walking Dead which will air in the fall, Bernecker lent his talents to Marvel’s Black Panther, worked on Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming Rampage film, and Sylverstor Stallone’s Escape Plan 2: Hades. All three films are set for release in 2018.

Previously, Bernecker ha appeared in recognizable titles such as Goosebumps, The Last Witch Hunter, Logan and 22 Jump Street. The stuntman’s efforts on several of those films can be seen in the video above, which showcases sequences in which Bernecker filled in for an actor or participated in action-heavy sequences as himself.

Since Bernecker’s passing, several actors and crew members who had the privilege of working with the talented young stuntman have taken to social media to pay tribute and send thoughtful messages regarding his passing…

Tributes

The Walking Dead consists of a tightly knit bunch of cast and crew. They are to referred to as “The Walking Dead Family” without reason. The family lost a member, prompting actors to send messages on social media. Among them, The Walking Dead’s Eric actor Jordan Woods-Robinson, who writes, “Can’t stop thinking about John Bernecker. All of my love and hopes for solace goes out to his loved ones and our community.”

Olivia actress Ann Mahoney, who exited The Walking Dead in its seventh season, writes, “Much sadness about #nola actor #JohnBernecker today. Sending peace to his family. Pray for them please.”

Newcomer to the AMC series Sabrina Gennarino chimes in, as well. “Sending peace, strength, love and prayers to the loved ones of #JohnBernecker,” Gennarino wrote. “May his light live on in you #nola #TWDFamily.”

Several other members of the stunt community and actors on series such as 24 and Turn chimed in, as well. See their tweets below.

Previous Messages

Prior to Bernecker’s passing, several cast and crew members on The Walking Dead showed support on social media. 

Maggie Greene actress Lauren Cohan was one of the first to take to social media. “Dear Walking Dead Family, please keep John Bernecker, our stuntman and his family in your prayers today,” Cohan wrote.

Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd retweeted Cohan’s message with an additional message of her own. “We are all praying for him, his family, friends, and colleagues,” Hurd wrote.

The actor responsible for playing Hilltop character Eduardo, Peter Zimmerman, chimed in on Twitter, showing support for Bernecker. “Keeping John Bernecker and his family in my thoughts,” Zimmerman wrote.

In a similar role to Zimmerman’s, though his character calls the Kingdom home, Daniel actor Daniel Newman sent a similar tweet. “Huge prayers for our #WalkingDead stuntman John Bernecker & family now!” Newman wrote.

Reg Monroe actor Steve Coulter, who exited The Walking Dead in its fifth season, sent a message. “#TWDFamily John Bernecker, a TWD stuntman, was badly injured in a fall on set yesterday,” Coulter said. “Please RT & put him in your thoughts and prayers.”

More Walking Dead

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Fear the Walking Dead returns September 10. The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October with a trailer coming in July at San Diego Comic Con. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter