RIP: John Lafia, 'Child's Play' Co-Creator, Has Died At The Age Of 63

John Lafia, the legendary writer who directed the horror movie Child's Play 2 and co-wrote Child's Play has passed away at the age of 63, reported Deadline. The writer allegedly took his own life in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office. Lafia is survived by two children and his ex-wife Beverly and we extend our thoughts and prayers to the bereaved family and hope they find the strength to get through this difficult time. His family released a statement through Don Mancini, who was Child Play's creator and screenwriter. He described Lafia as an intrinsic part of the Chucky franchise and said how deeply he will be missed. 

According to Variety, the statement reads, "We’re devastated to hear of the passing of our friend John Lafia. He was a crucial part of the Chucky family from the very beginning. He co-wrote the original ‘Child’s Play’ script along with director Tom Holland and myself, and John directed ‘Child’s Play 2,’ — the consensus favorite film among Chucky fans. John was an incredibly generous artist. He let me tag along with him to every meeting, and shadow him on set; he taught me more about filmmaking during the production of that movie than several semesters in film school. John was also one of the most naturally curious and constantly creative people I ever met, someone who was always taking pictures, and jotting down ideas.”

Born on April 2, 1957, Lafia was an influential figure in the Los Angeles music scene during the 1980s, before he started with his successful film career. He was a UCLA graduate and his first feature film was The Blue Iguana which released in 1988. Lafia wrote and directed the movie himself and it featured a theme song by rap legend Kurtis Blow. The movie was also Dylan McDermott’s first lead role in a feature film and starred Flea, Jessica Harper, Pamela Gidley, and James Russo. 

But during his illustrious career, perhaps Lafia's most influential work was when he co-wrote the screenplay for the hit horror film Child’s Play. He was the one who came up with the name 'Chucky' and added the iconic dialogue, "Hi, I’m Chucky, wanna play?” Apart from that, Lafia also collaborated with Tom Holland and Don Mancini on Child’s Play reboot in 2019. Apart from Child's Play, his other notable works include Man’s Best Friend which he also wrote and directed in 2004. He was also a part of the NBC miniseries 10.5. 

The miniseries told the story of a massive earthquake that hit the United States and Canada. In 2006, he was also associated with the sequel of the show titled 10.5: Apocalypse. During the mid-nineties, Lafia directed the live-action video game Corpse Killer. The video game combined computer technology with live-action imagery and its high-end graphics gave an immersive experience to the audience for the first time. 

His other notable works include a musical drama called The Ballad of Frank and Cora. He is also remembered for his contribution to movies such as Babylon 5, The Dead Zone, and Firestorm: Last Stand at Yellowstone.