In an unfortunate turn of events, a man named James Emswiller has died on after a fatal fall on the set of "You Are My Friend."
The 61-year-old crew member was working on the project as a sound mixer as a part of the sound production team. Earlier today, Page Six reported that Emwiller was discovered to have fallen from a balcony on the Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania set. Local police revealed that the Pittsburgh native had opted to take a smoke break on a balcony in between filming scenes. At some point during his break, bystanders heard a noise and rushed to the scene to learn that Emswiller had fallen. Emswiller was then taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
While at the hospital, Emwiller's condition worsened and he lost his life.
In a recent statement, Pittsburgh Film Office Director Dawn Keezer said, “We're all sad. It's a tremendous loss for our community. It’s a tremendous loss for our film family. Jim was an important, valued, trusted member of our group."He heralded the collaborative efforts of all the crew members and Emswiller's contributions adding, “It takes a lot of people to make this happen here in Pittsburgh, to get this work here, and he is going to be greatly missed.”
Filming on the project has been put on hold as police investigate the matter. The film was originally slated for release on October 18, 2019.