LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- American horror film legend Tobe Hooper has died Saturday at 74 at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, local media reported on Sunday.
Hooper was pronounced dead at his residence at 4:10 p.m.local time on Saturday.
"He looks to be a natural death," investigator Rudy Molano of the coroner's office was quoted as saying by City News Service.
Hooper was born in Austin, Texas, the United States, in January 25, 1943. Best known for his director work in the horror film genre, Hooper's most recognized films include "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" among others.
The 1974 "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. It was called one of the most influential horror films by critics. With a limited budget of around 300,000 U.S. dollars, "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" became one of the most profitable independent films of the 1970s in the United States.
The 1982 "Poltergeist", directed by Hooper, written and produced by Steven Spielberg, became the eighth-highest grossing film of the year and also became a classic of the genre.
Hollywood celebrites and horror film fans paid tribute to Hooper on social media in wake of his death.
Scott Derrickson, best known for directing horror films such as "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "Sinister," called Hooper "the king of transgressive horror" on Twitter.
William Friedkin, the director of "The Exorcist" wrote "Tobe Hooper, a kind, warm-hearted man who made the most terrifying film ever. A good friend I will never forget."
