Grant Imahara mourned by 'MythBusters' co-stars after sudden death: 'My heart is broken'

Grant Imahara’s cause of death has been revealed following the news of his passing. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the former MythBusters co-host “died suddenly” from a brain aneurysm. He was 49.

Imahara, an electrical engineer and roboticist, is being remembered on social media by his former colleagues. Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, who made up the “The Build Team” or “B Team” with Imahara on MythBusters, expressed shock and sadness.

“We were just talking on the phone. This isn’t real,” Byron tweeted.

Belleci wrote, “My heart is broken.”

Longtime MythBusters co-host Adam Savage honored Imahara, whom he knew for over two decades. “Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON,” he shared.

Imahara joined the popular Discover Channel show in its third season. Aside from being a self-described “guinea pig,” the engineer designed and built robots for the show and operated electronics needed to test myths. The network issued a statement on Monday night.

“We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant. He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” a spokesperson told Yahoo Entertainment.

Imahara left the show in 2014 with Byron and Belleci. In 2016, the trio reunited to host Netflix's White Rabbit Project, which ranked history’s greatest inventions and heists. It lasted for one season.

After graduating from the University of Southern California where he studied electrical engineering, Imahara spent nine years at Lucasfilm. He worked for the company's THX and Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) divisions, eventually becoming the chief model maker specializing in animatronics. His film credits include the Star Wars prequels, where he built robots and controlled R2-D2’s movements.

Imahara also worked behind-the-scenes on films like The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. In 2018, he excitedly revealed he had been working on a Walt Disney Imagineering project to create autonomous robot stunt doubles.

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