Irvin Kershner, the director behind what many consider the finest of all the Star Wars films, has passed away at the age of 87.

Irvin Kershner didn't want to direct The Empire Strikes Back. When George Lucas asked him to take on directorial duties for the second Star Wars film, Kershner initially declined, only to accept the offer later at the urging of his manager. It's hard to imagine how the Empire Strikes Back might have turned out if not for his involvement. His exquisite balancing of action and character development made a film that otherwise might have otherwise been a throwaway bridge between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi something truly special.

Prior to Empire Kershner had been directing movies on and off since 1958's Stakeout on Dope Street, a movie about three teens getting caught up in a drug ring.

After Empire Kershner went on to direct the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, Robocop 2, and the cult classic science fiction television show SeaQuest DSV.

Kershner passed away in his Los Angeles home after a long battle with illness.

We'll remember him every time we participate in one of gaming's countless Hoth battles, and whenever a brother and sister unwittingly make-out for the sake of advancing the plot.

'Empire Strikes Back' director Kershner dies in LA [AFP]
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Yesterday, Pokémon writer Takeshi Shudo was rushed to the hospital after suffering a hemorrhage and collapsing at Nara Station. He has since passed away. Shudo was 61 years-old.

Shudo created TV anime Fairy Princess Minky Momo and worked on various anime through the 80s and 90s. He became the chief writer for the original Pokémon television series and went on to write the first three Pocket Monsters feature films.

脚本家の首藤剛志さんが亡くなられた。 [田原正利のプロデューサー日記 訃報 via ANN]

The cops and robbers game from troubled Scottish developer Realtime Worlds might set the record for the shortest-lived MMO, as All Points Bulletin shuts down after a mere two and a half months in operation.

APB officially launched in North America on June 29, welcoming Enforcers and Criminals alike to the dangerous streets of the fictional city of San Paro. With one of the deepest character creation systems I've seen in any massively multiplayer game, I was sure this online Grand Theft Auto was destined for great things.

This was not the great thing I had in mind. Community Officer Ben Bateman posted a final goodbye to players today on the game's official website.

APB has been a fantastic journey, but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end. Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone's best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close. It's been a pleasure working on APB and with all its players. Together we were building an absolutely amazing game, and for that, we thank you. You guys are awesome!

The farewell is followed by messages from the development team, expressing their disappointment over the closing and praising the game for the ambitious project it was.

I can't say this wasn't expected. Developer Realtime Worlds faced massive layoffs last month before going into administration, sort of the UK equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.

We extend our condolences to the loyal players and programmers of APB. It truly is the end of a painfully short era.

The servers are still up, so be sure to drop by and party like the world is ending, because it is.

In her darkest days, Erin Wood says she found some solace in the kindness of strangers, of gamers, of you.

Brian Wood, the lead designer of Company of Heroes Online, was driving his pregnant wife, Erin Wood, to their family home on Whidbey Island in Washington State on Sept. 3 when an out-of-control Chevy Blazer crossed the center line of the road they were on and smashed into the Wood's Subaru wagon.

Wood swerved the wagon at the last minute, putting himself between the oncoming truck and his pregnant wife. That last minute act of heroism cost Wood his life, but saved the lives of his wife and unborn child, police say.

Gamers around the world rallied to the cause, sending their well wishes, prayers and donations to the grieving widow, Erin Wood told Kotaku last night in an email. She said the unexpected kindness is helping ease the painful loss.

Hello.

My name is Erin Wood, and I wanted to send a request to please pass along my most sincere and heartfelt thanks to the gaming community for the overwhelming support provided to me in the past two weeks. I asked coworkers of Brian how I might best send my thanks, and they recommended sending them to Kotaku - hence this email. Any way you can help share this with the community would be much appreciated.

Brian always told me about how close-knit and wonderful the video game community was, but I had no idea until this tragedy just how special a group it really is. From all the articles and comments, to the emails and donations, I am simply stunned and so touched by the love, kindness, and generosity shown to me and my family. As everyone knows, the last 10 days have been the most difficult, dark days of my life. But this journey has been eased tremendously by the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes received from friends, family, and strangers living all over the world. It is so meaningful for me to hear about how his work and enthusiasm for the industry has touched others. Brian was completely and utterly devoted to the game industry, and was pretty much living his dream every day. He woke up every morning excited to be working in such a creative, demanding field. It was such a joy to be married to someone who was absolutely passionate about his professional life.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the compassion and support. It is so appreciated, and has been a light to me in this impossible situation.

Warm wishes,
Erin

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Erin Wood and her family.

Visit the Brian Wood Memorial Trust webpage to see how you can help.

Erin Wood, the widow of Company of Heroes Online lead designer Brian Wood who died tragically in a car crash earlier this month, appeared on NBC's Today this morning to discuss the accident and how she's coping with her loss.

Seeing Erin talk about the accident that claimed Brian Wood's life earlier this month really brings the tragedy of the accident into perspective. The story was heartrending as it was, but seeing Erin discuss her husband's last-minute heroism and how he will be remembered by them is almost too painful to watch.

As reported last week, a memorial trust has been established to help Erin and the couple's unborn child through this trying time.

Visit the Brian Wood Memorial Trust webpage to see how you can help.

Husband steers into crash to save wife, unborn child [NBC via AOL - Thanks UltimaWeapon]

Friends of Brian Wood, the Company of Heroes developer who lost his life in a tragic car accident on Friday, have established a trust fund to aid his wife and their unborn child during this trying time. Every dollar counts.

As reported earlier this week, Company of Heroes Online lead designer Brian Wood of Relic Entertainment lost his life on Friday night, when his Subaru Outback was struck head-on by an out-of-control Chevy Blazer. The 33-year-old developer was killed in the crash. According to his wife, his last act was swerving his vehicle to take the full brunt of the impact himself, saving her life and that of the couple's unborn child.

Radical Entertainment's Szymon Mazus, a close friend of the family, now points us towards a trust fund established to aid Erin and her child as they deal with this tragic situation.

"Brian was a very close friend. He was just the kindest most down to earth person you could ever hope to meet, as is Erin. We have set up a trust fund to help Erin and the baby during this very difficult time and I was hoping you would be willing to post a blurb about this and a link to www.brianwoodmemorialtrust.com on your site. We, family and friends, would be incredibly grateful."

I can only imagine how deeply this tragedy affects Erin and her child. With so much to worry about now that Brian Wood has passed on, not having to worry about financial matters would certainly be a large weight off of her shoulders, while helping ensure that the pair have the sort of life that Brian would have wanted for them.

Every single dollar does count. Imagine the relief we could give Erin and her child if everyone who read this donated just one dollar to the fund. I've donated, and I only have $35 in the bank right now. If I can do it, so can you.

Click the link below to find out how you can contribute.

The Brian Wood Memorial Trust [Official Page]

Glenn Shadix might be more famous for his role as Otho in Beetlejuice, but we'll always remember him as Father Ripper from Heathers, who blamed a teen's death on "the MTV video games."

More specifically, he blames the death of one of the 1989 dark comedy teens on "a society that tells its youth that the answers can be found in the MTV video games." That ill-informed, tongue-in-cheek statement stands as one our favorite video game movie references of all time, only made that much more hilarious now that MTV is actually making video games.

Skip to the three minute mark in the video below to see the famous scene.

Glenn Shadix caught his first big break with the role of Otho, the interior designer/paranormal expert in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice. His relationship with Burton would lead to a role as the Mayor of Halloween Town in A Nightmare Before Christmas, a role he went on to reprise in several video games, including Disney's Kingdom Hearts. Shadix also voiced the Brain and Monsieur Mallah in the Teen Titans cartoon, along with voices in Justice League Unlimited, The Batman, and Jackie Chan Adventures.

Shadix was found dead in his Birmingham, Alabama, home on Tuesday morning by his sister. The actor had been suffering mobility problems and apparently fell and struck his head.

Actor Glenn Shadix dies at 58 [CNN]

Further information regarding the tragic death of Relic Entertainment's Brian R. Wood in an automobile accident Friday night reveals that the developer's final act saved the life of his wife and their unborn child.

As we reported yesterday, the lead designer on Company of Heroes Online was driving his Subaru Outback with his wife Erin of five years, pregnant with their first child, when they were struck by a speeding Chevy Blazer driven by 21 year-old Jordyn B. Weichert.

The 33-year-old developer was killed in the crash. His wife and their child survived the crash, thanks to Brian's last-minute sacrifice.

According to Erin Wood, she and the baby would not have survived the crash had Brian not swerved at the last minute, taking the brunt of the impact himself.

"All the policeman say that if we had hit the car head-on all of us would be dead. At the very last second (Brian) braked really hard and turned right so that he would be put in the path of the SUV and not me and the baby, and that is the only thing that saved us both.

Rather than a head-on collision, the Chevy Blazer struck the driver's side of the Wood's Subaru, crushing the roof and killing Brian instantly. His wife escaped with a non-life-threatening head injury.

Along with being a lead designer with Relic Entertainment, Wood also sang baritone with the Espiritu Choir in North Vancouver and enjoyed spending time outdoors.

He will be remembered fondly by his co-workers, his family, and of course, his wife and child.

"He was always sacrificing himself for me and the baby," said Erin Wood.

"He was the most amazing warm-hearted man you would ever meet who loved his job, loved his family, and was just my rock. I am not quite sure how I am supposed to live the rest of my life without him. He truly was a gift and I wouldn't change a thing of any of our moments together. (The baby is) due Nov. 5 so it will come quick and then I look forward to seeing little glimpses of Brian in our baby and that gives me a lot of strength right now."

According to Washington State police, evidence of drug use by the driver and passengers of the Blazer was discovered at the scene, and the occupants of the vehicle were known to police.

The driver of the Blazer, 21-year-old Jordan Weichert, was allegedly removing a sweater while driving, asking her 22-year-old passenger Samantha Bowling to take the wheel. Both survived the accident. Weichert is being charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and one of vehicular assault. Bowling is being investigated for the same charges.

The other two passengers in the Blazer died in the crash, 25-year-old Jacob Quistorf and 26-year-old Francis Malloy.

Brian's father, Ed Wood, says the family harbors no anger towards Weichert and Bowling, but feels they need to be put away so the tragedy doesn't happen again.

"I don't feel a sense of anger. I feel a sense of profound loss. I don't feel a need for vengeance or anything of that sort. But I do believe these people need to be put away. They are going to kill somebody else and themselves and they need to be put away just for the good of society."

North Van dad-to-be's final act saves family [The Province - Thanks Moc]

Brian R. Wood, lead designer of Company of Heroes Online and a key player in the development of the series as a whole, was tragically killed on Friday night in an automobile accident north of Seattle.

Wood was behind the wheel of his Subaru Outback, with his wife Erin a passenger, when they were struck head-on by a Chevy Blazer driven by 21 year-old Jordyn B. Weichert. Two passengers in Weichert's car were killed, while it's alleged that the young driver was also under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.

The Washington State Patrol say Weichert could be charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault once she is released from hospital, while another passenger in her car, 22 year-old Samantha R. Bowling, may also be charged with vehicular homicide.

Wood was 33. His wife, six months pregnant, is "hospitalized but in improving condition".

Our thoughts go out to Wood's family and everyone at Relic Entertainment.

Vehicular homicide charges possible in Whidbey crash [Seattlepi]

Voltron was an 1980s American reworking of Japanese anime series Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV and Go Lion into a single, seemingly seamless program. The mastermind behind Voltron, Peter Keefe, passed away on May 27.

Voltron was a smash hit, becoming the number 1 ranked kids program during the 1984 and 85 seasons. There have been plans for a Voltron movie picture; however, the movie rights for a film are tied up in a legal fight.

The 57-year-old animation producer succumbed to throat cancer. According to the Hollywood Report, Keefe was known for his rich vocabulary, cowboy boots and handlebar mustache. During his career, he produced and sold over 600 half-hours of kid friendly entertainment.

'Voltron' producer Peter Keefe dies [Hollywood Reporter]