'The Mask' director Chuck Russell passes away at 74

Chuck Russell, the director of the 1994 comedy-action movie The Mask, has passed away at the age of 74.

According to TMZ, the news of his death was confirmed by his family, revealing that he breathed his last at his residence in the San Diego area on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

The outlet also reported that the local fire department was contacted to transport Russell to the hospital from his home as he had lost consciousness.

It is pertinent to mention that the grieving family of The Scorpion King director is currently flying to California, and they did not reveal his cause of death.

For those unaware, Russell made his directorial debut after he graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His first movie was A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, released in 1987, which he wrote and directed.

After tasting the success of his craft, he released The Blob the very next year and then he worked on his most notable project, The Mask, which earned him widespread success.

Chuck Russell, who starred Cameron Diaz and Jim Carrey in The Mask, made it with a budget under $23 million, but the film grossed over $351 million worldwide.