'The Blob' Cult Film Director Dies at 78

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Irvin Yeaworth Jr., the director of the 1958 campy sci-fi movie "The Blob," died on Monday, July 19 in Jordan at the age of 78.

The director died in a car accident when his vehicle swerved off the road in Petra. His wife, Jean Bruce Yeaworth, believes that he fell asleep at the wheel, reports the AP.

The Pennsylvania resident, who also made hundreds of religious films and then transitioned to theme park design, was completing an entertainment complex called the Jordanian Experience at the Aqaba Gateway that would feature Jordanian history.

Irvin Shortess "Shorty" Yeaworth was born in 1926 and broke into showbiz at age ten when he sang on the first radio station in the world, KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pa.

He began his directing career with "Twice Convicted." From there, he made three science fiction films, including "4D Man," "Dinosaurs!" and "The Blob," his most famous contribution to cinema.

"The Blob" features action star Steve McQueen in his first starring role as the bad boy who must save his town from the alien life form that grows larger with every destructive meal. The highly camp monster flick has become a cult favorite over the years, but its notoriety always rankled Yeaworth.

"He was not very proud of it," says his wife.

The director then returned to filming religious movies for Valley Forge Films. Over the course of his career, Yeaworth produced over 400 education, entertainment and motivational films.

He was also an accomplished musician and composer, and led the church choir for 22 years.

Yeaworth is survived by his wife, five children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.