‘Return of the Living Dead’ Actor Don Calfa Dies At 76

Character actor Don Calfa, who horror fans fondly remember from Return of the Living Dead, has has sadly passed away days before turning 77.

I can’t wait for the end of the year to get here. 2016 has been far too rough. We’ve suffered many losses of beloved stars, and I’ve certainly had enough. But the final month of the year is taking away another talented screen icon.

Dread Central reports that Calfa passed away Thursday in Palm Springs, according to his publicist. His cause of death is being referred to as natural causes, with no additional information. The actor would have turned 77 two days after his death.

This would be an appropriate time to take a minute to appreciate Ernie Kaltenbrunner. In an already wacky zombie movie, Calfa as Ernie stands out as one of its most entertaining aspects. Let’s watch a scene of his below to remember just how awesome he is:

Don Calfa had lots of TV and film roles throughout his career, including another memorable role in Weekend at Bernie’s. His final credit was for 2015’s Sharkskin. It seems he never officially retired, though he started taking on less roles going into the 2000s.

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We here at 1428 Elm appreciate everybody who does their part in making the horror genre what it is today. Return of the Living Dead is one of the most classic zombie movies of all time. Calfa will forever have the honor of appearing as one of the film’s best characters.

RIP Don Calfa.