Dan O’Bannon of Alien fame dies

Dan O’Bannon, screenwriter who was best known for writing the 1979 blockbuster “Alien” and who also directed and wrote  “The Return of the Living Dead,” and co-wrote “Blue Thunder” and “Total Recall,” has died.

He died Thursday at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica after a thirty year battle with Crohn’s disease, said his wife, Diane.