The stunt community mourns the loss of one of its legends, Bob Yerkes, who has passed away at the grand age of 92, as confirmed by his mentees.
The veteran American stuntman passed away on Tuesday in Northridge, Los Angeles. His death was made public by Darlene Ava Williams, a fellow stunt performer who looked up to Yerkes as a guiding light.
Taking to Facebook to express her grief on Tuesday, Williams penned: “I am horribly sad to hear that my mentor and stunt coach Bob Yerkes passed away this morning in Northridge, California. Bobby opened the door to his home and backyard to everyone that either needed a place to stay or to train for a job.”
She added: “Bobby knew my parents before I was born and knew me as a kid growing up in the circus. At one time, long before me, my dad and Bob performed in a flying trapeze act together in the circus. As a kid I remember visiting his backyard. I remember watching him train celebrities and stunt people.”
“Years later, after I moved to Los Angeles Bob would call me for stunt jobs. I really wanted to work in computer animation and children’s television. Not in stunts, but Bob would always call. I can still hear his voice say, ‘Hey! what are you doing? Do you want to work? ‘ I would say, ‘I don’t know Bob. What do I have to do? ‘ Bob would always say, ‘ahh it’s nothing much, you can do it.’ So before I knew it I was working as a stunt woman”, reports the Mirror.
She paid tribute to the legendary stuntman, saying: “There will never be another Bob Yerkes! My heart is broken. I am proud and honored to have known him.”
Cinema enthusiasts will recognise Yerkes’s daring feats, as he performed in memorable sequences that have become part of film lore. He famously replaced Christopher Lloyd for a descent down a clock tower cable in Back to the Future, and doubled for Fred Ward during a Statue of Liberty scene in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
Yerkes began a life of acrobatics in the circus at the age of 15 and continued to work in film credits until 2017.
He famously worked on Ghostbusters, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Batman Forever and Robin Hood: Men In Tights.