Surrealist artist H.R. Giger - one of the driving creative forces between 1979's Alien - died today in Zurich after complications from a fall.

The 74-year-old Swiss was known for his dark but brilliant fascination in humanity's relationship with machines. Having been brought to Hollywood by El Topo director Alejandro Jodorowsky to work on his unrealized Dune, Giger went on to work in sci-fi films like Alien, for which he won an Oscar (it's worth noting that his designs for Jodorowsky's Dune were still used in David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation).

A 2010 interview published by Wired traced Giger's inspirations to his younger years, stating that he lived "an idyllic childhood in one of the most beautiful places on Earth [Chur, Switzerland]. But it harbored forbidding structures and estranged elements that left an impression on a child subjected to night terrors and panic attacks."

In addition to the Alien franchise, Giger was also the designer for Species.