Rapper Eminem’s stunt double Ryan Shepard died after being struck by a truck. He was 40, TMZ reported.

Shepard was trying to cross the street when he was hit by a pickup truck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The incident took place in Washington at the end of January, TMZ reported, citing Shepard’s brother Kyle.

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Who was Ryan Shepard?

Ryan Shepard was Eminem’s stunt double in the early 2000s. He was also the rapper’s photo double and stand-in. He made an appearance at the MTV Movie Awards as the rapper’s superhero character, Rap Boy.

According to his LinkedIn page, he was Eminem’s stunt double during the rapper’s Anger Management Tour in 2002. He was also seen on stage at the rapper’s Japan and Europe tour in 2003. He also made an appearance as Eminem’s double in D12’s “Purple Hills” music video.

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Shepard’s brother told TMZ that the 40-year-old was an intelligent man. He was employed with Disney as a ride mechanical engineer. He also worked at Elon Musk’s SpaceX as a test automation engineer.

As per Shepard’s LinkedIn page, he was working freelance as Lead Animatronics Engineer with California-based

“Creative Engineer with a passion for Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Automation. Experienced in Machining and Prototype Fabrication.
Specialties: Expertise Mechanical Engineering Design & Analysis, Automation, Robotics, and Programming. Well versed in all Adobe Creative Suite and most CAD and programming languages. I thrive on doing the impossible as well as blank page design,” his LinkedIn bio reads.

Shepard is survived by his two children – a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old.