Eileen Moran, Visual Effects Producer For ‘The Hobbit,’ Dies In New Zealand

Eileen Moran — a longtime visual effects executive producer for Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Joe Letteri — died in New Zealand on Tuesday.

Moran boasts an impressive resume, having worked with James Cameron on Avatar, Steven Spielberg on The AdventuresOf Tintin, and both Ridley and Tony Scott and having had a longtime collaboration with director Peter Jackson on The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, King Kong, The Lovely Bones, and the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

According to Deadline, her health and hospitalization prevented her from attending The Hobbit‘s premiere last week. A note from Jackson and his wife, Fran Walsh, to Weta Digital announced the news:

“Fran and I are terribly upset at the news that we lost Eileen a couple of hours ago. She was a lovely, decent person who had great respect for all the artists she worked with. Eileen was so proud of Weta and the work all of you have done over the years. She was fiercely loyal to the company, and to Fran and I personally, and we will always be grateful for her friendship.”

James Cameron also reflected on Moran’s death:

“Eileen was an integral part of building Weta Digital into the most powerful engine for imaginative imagery that ever existed, and she shepherded some of the milestone films of her generation to completion.”

Moran’s cause of death is currently unknown, and she was in her mid-50s when she passed away. According to RTV6, she is survived by two children, Jack and Ava.

Moran’s resume also included I Robot, X-Men: The Last Stand, Eragon, Bridge To Terabithia, Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer, 30 Days Of Night, The Water Horse, Jumper, The Chronicles Of Narnia, Prince Caspian, The Day The Earth Stood Still, District 9, The A-Team, and Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.

We offer our thoughts and condolences to Eileen Moran’s family and friends during this difficult time.