Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has remembered Deadpool & Wolverine production designer Ray Chan following his death.
Chan first joined Marvel Studios as a supervising art director on Thor: The Dark World starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, before returning to the same role on Guardians Of The Galaxy, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Doctor Strange, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
He also served as art director on Spider-Man: Far From Home with Tom Holland and Zendaya, before moving on to production designer on Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania with Paul Rudd and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine film.
“Words are pretty inadequate in comparison to this loss,” Deadpool star Reynolds said on his Instagram story.
“There’s an incomparable reservoir of skill, tender grit and talent no longer with us. He was as valuable a creative force on Deadpool & Wolverine as the writers, director and stars.
“I don’t pretend to know every chapter of Ray’s heart, but I know it’s unusual to encounter someone with that level of artistry, who simultaneously moved through the world with such an indelible humanity.
“He built worlds from scratch – and did so in the most collaborative and inclusive ways.”
Reynolds, who stars as the Deadpool anti-hero alongside Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman in the third film in the franchise, remembered his last conversation with Chan “exactly two weeks ago”.
“One of (the) last things I said to him was that he makes magic and there’s nobody on earth like him. He and I would also give each other a lot of good natured shit.
“So…of all the last things you could say to someone you adore, that’s a little scrap of consolation I’ll hang onto forever.”
Chan’s death was announced by Marvel Studios on Friday.
In a statement, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and executive producer Louis D’Esposito said: “Ray was first and foremost a good friend to everyone at Marvel Studios.
“He was a talented collaborator who brought creativity and attention to detail to every frame of every movie he worked on, and who was able to bring out the best in each department he worked with.
“He was the nicest human being and was such a pleasure to work with, hugely generous, and the kind of person who could take the seed of an idea and turn it into something beautiful.
“We are devastated by his passing. He will be missed by everyone at Marvel, and our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends.”
Chan is survived by his wife Lindsay and his children Caspar and Sebastian.