R.I.P. David Emge: ‘Dawn Of The Dead’ Actor Dead At 77

David Emge, the actor best known for his for his performance in the 1978 Dawn of the Dead, died on Saturday (Jan. 20), per The U.S. Sun. He was 77.

Emge passed away in Evansville, Indiana — the same city he was born in on Sept. 9, 1946 — per his obituary. Prior to his stint in acting, Emge served in the Vietnam War, having been drafted while a student at the University of Evansville.

He was in New York, working as a chef, when he received the role of Stephen “Flyboy” Andrews in the renowned horror film directed by George A. Romero.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Emge opened up about the role in a documentary detailing the making of the film.

“I play the guy who was slightly off-kilter a little bit,” he explained with respect to his role. “He was just an ordinary guy. He would look silly at times, he would make wrong choices, he would fail where the S.W.A.T team guys would heroically succeed.”

Emge’s first film appearance was in the comedy The Booby Hatch in 1976. He garnered his final recent film credit as Robert in the 1992 horror movie Hellmaster, following his 1990 performance in Basket Case 2, per IMDb.

The George A. Romero Foundation shared their condolences on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), writing that they’re “heartbroken to hear of David Emge’s passing.”

“David made a great impact with his performance in George’s Dawn of the Dead, and we are grateful for him,” they continued. “Our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and fans. Rest easy, Flyboy.”

Emge is survived by his three sisters and “many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews,” per his obituary.