Before finding fame on screen, Grant Imahara was one of few to operate R2-D2 in the "Star Wars" series.
Grant Imahara, an electrical engineer who hosted the science show “MythBusters” and Netflix’s “White Rabbit Project,” has died. He was 49.
Imahara died suddenly, and it is believed he suffered a brain aneurysm in his Los Angeles home, a spokesperson for Discovery Communications said in a statement Monday night.
“We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant,” the statement read. “He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Friends and colleagues took to Twitter to express their grief shortly after the announcement.
“MythBusters” co-host Adam Savage tweeted: "Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend."
Kari Byron, who worked with him on “MythBusters” and “White Rabbit Project,” tweeted a photo of them together with fellow co-host Tory Belleci.
Imahara was born in Los Angeles and pursued an electrical engineering degree at the University of South California.
Imahara joined “MythBusters” in its third season and was on the show until 2014. He and co-hosts Byron and Belleci reunited in 2016 for Netflix’s “White Rabbit Project.” Most recently, Imahara had been working on a Walt Disney Imagineering project, The New York Times reported.
In addition to finding fame on screen, Imahara also worked extensively behind the scenes in the entertainment business. He was one of few engineers who operated R2-D2 in the “Star Wars” series, as well as worked on blockbusters like “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” and “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Matrix,” according to his IMDB profile.
He also built Deadblow, a robot that became a champion on Comedy Central’s “Battle Bots,” and published a book, “Kickin' Bot: An Illustrated Guide to Building Combat Robots.”
n a 2008 interview, Imahara said he was most inspired by the James Bond movies as a kid but “I wanted to be Q, because he was the guy who made all the gadgets.”
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