​Child’s Play Writer John Lafia Has Died Aged 63

Child's Play co-writer John Lafia has died aged 63, his family have confirmed.

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Lafia took his own life on 29 April.

Lafia, who wrote Child's Play and also wrote and directed its sequel Child's Play 2, was credited with coining the name 'Chucky', which has become one of the most iconic horror characters in cinema.

MGM

He also contributed the key catchphrase of 'Hi, I'm Chucky, wanna play?' to the script.

In a statement provided to Deadline, his family said: "It is with great sadness we announce that loving father, film and television writer, director, producer and musician John J. Lafia passed away on Wednesday, April 29."

Don Mancini, Child's Play creator and Lafia's long-time collaborator, also said in a statement through the family that he was 'devastated' to learn of his friend's death.

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Mancini said: "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.

MGM

"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."

Lafia, who was born in 1957, was a part of LA's experimental music scene in the 1980s before he managed to forge a successful career in cinema.

Along with the Child's Play franchise, Lafia's other credits include 1993's Man's Best Friend (1993), which he wrote and directed, and NBC miniseries 10.5, which he wrote, directed and produced, along with its 2006 sequel 10.5: Apocalypse.

Rest in peace.

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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