As audiences get ready for the Marvel movie of the summer, Deadpool and Wolverine, the production has unfortunately been hit with a tragic death among its filmmaking team: Ray Chan, who was the production designer on the next of the upcoming Marvel movies. Amidst news of his death at the age of 56, Ryan Reynolds penned a touching tribute to Chan.
Reynolds took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram on Friday afternoon to pen a letter in homage to the late production designer. Alongside a photo of him and the words “RIP Ray Chan,” he wrote the following statement:
Words are pretty inadequate in comparison to this loss. There’s an incomparable reservoir of skill, tender grit and talent no longer with us. As Production Designer, he was as important 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.
Chan reportedly died near his home in Wales. The production designer was born in Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom and raised by his parents, both immigrants of Hong Kong. He studied graphic design at the Liverpool School of Art and earned his Masters at Kingston Art College. He is survived by his wife Lindsay and his two children Caspar and Sebastian.
Ray Chan has been contributing to movies since the ’90s, when he earned his first credit as an art department assistant in The Secret Rapture in 1993. Some of Chan’s other early credits include on Alien vs. Predator, Children of Men and National Treasure. For the past decade, Chan has been immersed in the MCU as an art director for Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers; Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
He was also a production designer on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, along with having the same role on Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Ryan Reynolds also wrote this following Ray Chan’s death:
He built entire worlds from scratch – and did so in the most collaborative and inclusive ways. Ray was peerless. And just awesome to be around. He’ll be missed by everyone — but especially, by the people inhabiting his most important world: his family. The last time I saw Ray was exactly two weeks ago. One of last things I said to him was that he makes magic and there’s nobody on earth like him. Generally, he and I gave each other a lot of good natured shit. So… of all the final things you could say to someone you adore, that’s a little scrap of consolation I’ll hang onto forever.
In addition to Reynolds’ heartfelt words, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito shared a joint statement (per Variety) sharing that Ray Chan was a “good friend to everyone at Marvel Studios” along with being a “talented collaborator” who brought “creativity and attention to detail to every frame of every movie he worked on.”
It’s unfortunate that Ray Chan has passed away before seeing his work on Deadpool And Wolverine unfold on the big screen this summer. Just days ago, the studio unveiled a new trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine, which revealed the backstory of Hugh Jackman’s Logan this time around. Check it out:
Deadpool and Wolverine hits theaters on July 26. Here at CinemaBlend, we send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Ray Chan as they process his death.