Chris Hardwick started Friday’s “Fear The Walking Dead” Comic-Con panel in Hall H with a tribute to stuntman John Bernecker, who died July 15 after an accident during filming on the upcoming season of “The Walking Dead.”
Hardwick also announced that in memory of Bernecker, the producers of “The Walking Dead” had decided to moderate the show’s Friday Hall H panel themselves. Hardwick continued to moderate the “Fear the Walking Dead” panel.
“I think it’s important to just say it’s a horrible thing that’s happened, there’s not a silver lining I can see,” the host of “The Talking Dead” said. But, he added, “it’s important to talk about it.”
“The producers talked about the best way to [pay respect to John]. Do they come to Comic-Con? Do they not? They felt it was best to run the panel themselves, and out of respect for John, I agree.”
Hardwick then called for a moment of silence in honor of Bernecker.
Bernecker was seriously injured in a fall while working on the show’s set in Georgia. The stuntman had been working since 2009 and had appeared in a number of films and TV shows, including “24: Legacy,” “Logan,” “Into the Badlands,” and so many more.