I found out via the Uberbot Blog that Stan Winston passed away.

Stan was the special effects genius behind most of the movies I loved during my formative years, most notably Predator, Aliens, and the Terminator movies. As a young geek, I had a great appreciation for him bringing the characters to life and doing so in a realistic enough fashion to both thrill and entertain me in equal measure.

I'm sure the special effects industry owes Stan a debt of gratitude for his skills and inspiration. While he may be gone, he will live on in both his past work and its influence on future generations of movies.