When the midseason premiere of The Walking Dead aired on February 13, 2017, viewers who watched the ending will remember seeing text that read “In loving memory of James Heltibridle.” Seeing that at the time, no one knew who he was, so questions were asked about who the premiere was about. Was he an actor or a behind-the-scenes crew member? This and many more
are all you will find out here about the late Heltibridle. There is very little data on the internet regarding who James Heltibridle is. This can be understood as he wasn’t really known until after his death when The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 9 was dedicated to him. Nevertheless, a few places where his profile has been listed state that he was born on November 29, 1988 in the United States of America. Obviously for white American parents seeing he was
white. For his childhood life and early education, unfortunately, no disclosure has been made in this regard. What James enjoyed being, spending time, keeping friends and being interested in sports are among the many details of this beloved man who seems to have been lost with his death. However, we found satisfying results when we ran our projector in its later education profile. James Heltibridle is said to have studied at the North Carolina School of the
Arts, a coeducational arts conservatory located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Here he received specialized training in visual merchandising, SketchUp modeling and art direction. In 2013, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production and Production Design. After graduation, he began his career in the film industry where he quickly became a production designer. Heltibridle was then working as a filmmaker on short films like Memoris (2012)
and Death and the Robot (2013). Other discoveries revealed that he was now part of The Walking Dead team in Season 6. Some photos he posted on his Twitter profile (@HeltibridleCo) suggest so. Selfies showed him with Daryl Dixon, Norman Reedus and even Chloe Bennet (partner of Austin Nichols) at the show’s Season 6 premiere which took place at Madison Square Garden in October 2015. During his lifetime, James has worked in the props department
of The Walking Dead. As for his relationship life, the director was not publicly known to have had a relationship with him, nor was he married. James Heltibridle’s life was likely centered around his career and how best to cultivate it before the cold hands of death took him. Sadly, James Heltibridle left the world too early to the shock of all who knew him. At the time of his death he was safe
and sound, but in a traffic accident his life was cut short. The aspiring filmmaker died on November 10, 2016 while returning home from filming the series. He was 19 days under his 28 years when he died.How did he die?
Following his passing, some of the Walking Dead crew, his fans, and others who knew him took to their social media pages to express their shock at Heltibridle’s death. Michael Jaegers officially announced his death on his Facebook group on Undead Fan, describing him as one of the “unsung heroes” of the show and the film industry in general. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Michael Rooker, Coleman Youmans and several others who knew him and worked with him all expressed surprise at his passing.
Although James Heltibridle is no more, he will be and should always be remembered by anyone who reads his story. He was such a talented and likeable young man, motivated for hard work. Perhaps, if he were still alive, the media and celebrity blogs would all have been inundated with news of his exploits in the acting industry. Nevertheless, everything he accomplished during his life is still great and speaks for itself.
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When the midseason premiere of The Walking Dead Season 7 came to an end, a title card came up dedicating the episode to someone named James Heltibridle. That name may not have immediately rung a bell, but it was clear he was involved in the production of the show since the episode was honoring his memory. But who is James Heltibridle and how was he involved with the show?
Heltibridle was a member of the behind the scenes crew for The Walking Dead, and he passed away just a few months ago in November 2016. His passing was announced on the Michael Jaegers Officially Undead Fan Site Facebook group, with the following statement: "RIP to James Heltibridle, one of our unsung heroes on The Walking Dead and part of our film industry family. James worked in the Props Dept and was killed in an auto accident last night."
According to another announcement made on the alumni Facebook group for Heltibridle's alma mater, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, his accident occurred after leaving the set of The Walking Dead. While most of the members of the cast have not officially commented on Heltibridle's death, everyone who worked on the series has always seemed to get along well. The episode dedication was a way for the show to acknowledge his contributions.
It's not entirely clear how long Heltibridle had been working on The Walking Dead because the show does not appear on his IMDB page, but it seems to have been a big part of his life for at least the last few years. Heltibride's Twitter account has a few pictures of him attending the show's Season 6 premiere in 2015 and taking photos with cast members and other attendees.
In the bio section of his Twitter, Heltibridle described himself as an artist, designer, and filmmaker. He graduated from UNCSA in 2013 with a B.F.A. in film production and production design, after which he seems to have worked on a few short films before landing his job in the props department of The Walking Dead.
Michael Rooker, who played Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead's earlier seasons, also posted about Heltibridle's passing on his Instagram account. In response, an extra on the series named Coleman Youmans commented, "Damn damn. James was a nice guy and hard worker committed to his craft and worked so hard on TWD. He will be missed."
At the time of his death, Heltibridle was 28 years old, which is, of course, way too young. It's a heartbreaking situation, but I appreciate that the series took some time to honor his memory.