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.
Who was James Heltibridle from The Walking Dead?
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.
How did he die?
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.
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.