Chuck Russell, director of The Mask, dies at 74

Director Chuck Russell, best known for 1994's The Mask, has died. 

According to TMZ, the Hollywood heavyweight 'died unexpectedly at his San Diego-area home' on Wednesday.

The publication also reported that the local fire department were called to Russell's home on Wednesday afternoon following a report of a medical emergency involving an unconscious male.

His cause of death remains unknown.

He is survived by Ania, his wife of 19 years, and his three children, Logan, Riley, and Carlyn. 

Russell was behind some of the biggest hits of the '80s and '90s, including the 1988 remake of the horror classic The Blob and the blockbuster comedy hit The Mask, which helped turn into a household name. 

He also directed 1996's Eraser with  and 2002's The Scorpion King starring . Both movies were box office hits.

His first film was A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which launched the career of Patricia Arquette.

The horror sequel was a hit and well received by critics, launching Russell's career in the genre. 

His career started to wind down in the 2000s, with Russell taking a hiatus from directing after The Scorpion King. 

He returned in 2016 with the John Travolta-fronted I Am Wrath, but the vigilante action-thriller was savaged by critics and bombed at the box office. 

Russell then directed the 2019 Bollywood movie Junglee, followed by another Travolta project in 2022 called Paradise City.

Paradise City, which co-starred an ailing Bruce Willis, was another critical and commercial flop.

Russell's final film as a director was 2024's supernatural thriller Witchboard, which he also co-wrote.

While Witchboard failed to light up the box office, it fared somewhat better with critics, who praised it as a welcome throwback to the horror films of the '80s and '90s.