German actor Dieter Laser know internationally for starring in the horror film, The Human Centipede, has died aged 78. His death was announced in a post on his Facebook page, saying that the actor had died on February 29.

In the 2009 Dutch horror film The Human Centipede, directed by Tom Six, Laser played Dr. Josef Heiter, the deranged German surgeon who kidnaps three tourists and joins them surgically, mouth to anus, forming a “human centipede”.

For his performance, Laser won Best Actor at the Austin Fantastic Fest and was nominated for the LA Scream Awards for Best Villain in 2010.

Laser returned in The Human Centipede 3, the third and final installment of The Human Centipede trilogy, as William “Bill” Boss, a prison boss at George W. Bush State Prison in Texas who orders all the inmates to be sewn together.

Director Tom Six paid tribute to Laser on Twitter, posting “ I’m totally shocked Dieter passed away. He was a force of nature, an unique human being and an iconic actor. I’m so damn proud we created pop culture together. Wished we could have made many more movies. RIP my friend, you will live forever on screen! ”