‘Hercules’ and ‘Xena’ Director Dies Suddenly: Sister Confirms Death of Josh Becker

Author, actor, director, and screenwriter Josh Becker has died. He was 67.

His death was announced by his sister Pamela on Facebook. A cause of death was not announced.

“I am in a state of disbelief and profoundly heartbroken to share the loss of my Brother Josh Becker. Literally, NO WORDS,” she wrote.

Becker was best known for his collaborations with his close friends Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell—who once said of him “If the words inflammatory, contrarian and brilliant could all be used in the same sentence, it would equal the writings of Josh Becker.”

He also directed and wrote several episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess, directed or worked on several Hercules movies including Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur, and wrote and directed several movies like Alien Apocalypse, Stan Lee’s Harpies, Running Time, and Morning, Noon & Night.

Outside of filmmaking, he was an accomplished author, with over 30 published essays and four books. One of them, The Complete Guide to Low-Budget Feature Filmmaking, has an introduction from his friend and fellow Evil Dead alum Bruce Campbell.

His friend, Tessa Hawkes, also posted a tribute to him on Facebook.

“It is with a deep and heavy heart that I announce the passing of my friend Josh Becker. You were so missed today at the awards dinner, but I knew you were with me in spirit. I remember talking with you on the phone less than 18 hours before your passing,” she wrote. “The film world has lost one of the greatest producer-directors. Rest in peace, my dear friend.”