Joe Camp, ‘Benji’ films creator, director, dead at 84

Joe Camp, the writer and creator, who self-raised his first film, Benji, died March 15 at 84.

Camp passed away in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, Friday morning at his home. According to his son, the 2018 Benji reboot, Brandon Camp actor lost the battle to an illness.

The actor started his Hollywood career after raising $500,000 to make his first Benji film, a movie that revolved around a passionate mutt who rescues a pair of kids from kidnappers.

The titular role was played by Higgins the dog, who came out of retirement for the gig and previously starred on the CBS sitcom Petticoat Junction.

Then in 1974, after failing to find a distributor, Camp established Mulberry Square Releasing, his own distribution business, to handle the film's release.

After accounting for inflation, Benji went on to make approximately $40 million in revenue.

Camp was also a best-selling novelist and an enthusiastic animal lover.

In 2008, he wrote a book titled The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd, which detailed the lessons he gained from dealing with animals.

A number of nonprofit organisations, activist groups, and educational institutions, notably Mississippi's Piney Woods School, counted Camp as a board member.