Friends, fans, and coworkers are paying tribute to beloved Mythbusters alumni Grant Imahara, who died suddenly on Monday due to a brain aneurysm. He was 49.
A talented engineer and roboticist, Imahara spent almost a decade at Lucasfilm's visual effects division Industrial Light and Magic, where he worked on films such as Galaxy Quest, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the Matrix sequels, and the Star Wars prequels. Being one of the people behind R2-D2 and the Energizer Bunny, Imahara's work had a notable impact on pop culture. He also gained some public recognition through appearances on BattleBots, where he competed his middleweight robot Deadblow.
However, Imahara was most well known for being a member of Mythbusters’ Build Team, joining the cast in 2005 after the departure of Scottie Chapman. Working with team members Tory Belleci and Kari Byron, Imahara tested the scientific plausibility of hundreds of myths by designing and building outlandish contraptions, delighting thousands with his innovation and stoking wider interest in robotics. He was enthusiastic about sharing his passion for engineering with others, and encouraged people to be curious and investigate how things work.
"Anything that's already broken is fair game!" Imahara told Mashable in a 2011 interview. "The worst-case scenario is it stays broken. The best-case scenario is you find out how it works or, even better, transform it into something else."
Imahara mentored the Richmond High School robotics team in his spare time, and was responsible for the design and construction of Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show sidekick, the skeletal robot Geoff Peterson.
After leaving Mythbusters in 2014, Imahara co-hosted short-lived Netflix series White Rabbit Project with Belleci and Byron, continuing to investigate scientific questions and make such topics accessible to a wider audience. He also consulted with Walt Disney Imagineering to develop its Stuntronics — robotic aerial stunt performers intended to be deployed in Disneyland theme parks.
Fans and friends are remembering Imahara not only as a skilled engineer, but also an uncommonly kind and gentle person. He was an inspiration to many regardless of whether they ever met him, and worked hard to nurture and embolden the next generation of roboticists.
"[Students would say] 'Oh no, I can't do that!' [Then I would respond] 'Yes you can. Here's how. I'm going to show you once, and then you're gonna do it, and you're gonna show your friends,'" Imahara said in a 2016 interview. "It's enabling them to go beyond what they think they can do.”
Imahara is survived by his fiancee, costume designer Jennifer Newman, to whom he had been engaged since 2016.
“I haven't found the words. I don't know if I'll be able to,” Newman tweeted on Monday. “I lost a part of my heart and soul today. He was so generous and kind, so endlessly sweet and so loved by his incredible friends. I feel so lucky to have known him, to have loved & been loved by him. I love you, honey.”
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Rest in peace, Grant.
Topics Celebrities
