After a long battle with cancer, Simon Sayce, creator of the iconic movie prop, the Lament Configuration, passed away on June 20, 2017. The Lament Configuration Box, featured in the Hellraiser franchise, is what brings Pinhead and his Cenobites out of Hell and into our physical reality. That box is quintessential to the series, as recognizable to horror fans as Doug Bradley in Pinhead makeup.

The news arrived via Sayce’s own Facebook page, which friends have since been using as a memorial.

“This morning I received word that Simon had passed. Over the past two years I had become friends with Simon Sayce getting to know him, trading bad jokes and off color humor and talking shop on projects we were both working on. Sadly, his health started to go quickly and he spent less and less time on Facebook or responding to texts and emails. When Simon went quiet, that’s when I knew the mind was willing but the body had just had enough. Simon Sayce was a teacher, a friend and an artist above all else,” wrote friend Eric Gross.

“Sad news today of the death of Simon Sayce after a long battle with cancer. Simon’s is not a name well-known or often-mentioned in relation to Hellraiser, but it should be. As the designer and creator of the Lament Configuration, the familiar puzzle box, his imprint is right at the heart of the Hellraiser mythos. He put a mind-boggling amount of thought and work into the box. I won't attempt to summarize it, it’s all in the Leviathan documentary. Simon’s work survives as one of the most iconic images in cinema. RIP, Simon. My condolences to his family and friends,” Bradley shared on Facebook.

In addition to the puzzle box, Sayce created David Cronenberg’s mask for Nightbreed, as well as the character Peloquin for the same film. During the late ’80s and early ’90s, Sayce worked on the special effects teams for a few horror films, including The Unholy, The Lair of the White Worm, and I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle.

He’s survived by his three sons, one daughter and his brother Warwick.