John LeChago, the indie horror director behind the Killjoy series, has died at the age of 57. He passed away unexpectedly on July 22 after a judo practice session.
Found Unresponsive by Daughter
LeChago was found unresponsive by his daughter, Lia, who immediately called first responders. Despite efforts from his teammate and paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Canadian director had earned his brown belt in judo just weeks before his death, an achievement he had worked toward for months.
Tributes From Judo Center and Fans
Sawtelle Judo in California confirmed his death on July 27, issuing a statement on behalf of his family. The statement read: "We honour the passing of John LeChago after he passed away at the end of Judo practice recently. A dedicated and devoted member of our Judo community. We support the family in this time of need with this donation link. We also plan to host charity clinics on Saturday afternoon (August 18), hosted by Juan Morillo Sensei, Morillo Judo Academy."
Horror fan pages on Reddit shared condolences. One user wrote: "Such a great man. Going to really miss you, John." Another said: "John was a wonderful, creative, humble and sweet human being. We will all miss him very much." A colleague recalled: "I worked on multiple movies with him. This is a big loss, R.I.P." Another fan commented: "A true indie filmmaker who could make so much happen on such tight budgets. Best to his family and friends during this terrible time."
LeChago is survived by his wife and their two children.
