Bruce Campbell has paid tribute to his longtime friend and Evil Dead collaborator Scott Spiegel. Special effects makeup artist Robert Kurtzman announced on Facebook over the weekend that the horror screenwriter, director, producer and actor had passed away at the age of 67. Campbell, who is best known for playing Ash in the Evil Dead franchise, subsequently issued a heartfelt tribute to his frequent collaborator on Monday. "This is a big personal loss. Scott Spiegel was a huge part of my formative years back in Michigan," he wrote on X. "From Sunday School to being stock boys together, to Evil Dead II, which Scott co-wrote, I can't look in the rear view mirror without seeing this unique guy doing cheap gags. I'm grateful for the treasure trove of happy memories. Keep Shemping, Scott!" A reference to The Three Stooges, "shemping" refers to the practice of using a body double, or "fake Shemp", to stand in for an actor in a film. The term was popularised by Campbell, Spiegel and their friend and collaborator Sam Raimi. The trio met in high school in Michigan and made the short films It's Murder!, Within the Woods and Attack of the Helping Hand in the 1970s. It's Murder!, Raimi's first directorial work, was written by the famed director and Spiegel, and the trio all had acting roles. Spiegel appeared in the first two Evil Dead movies as an actor and co-wrote the second instalment with Raimi, while Campbell starred in the leading role as Ash. Spiegel made his feature directorial debut with 1989's Intruder, in which the trio all made on-screen appearances, and went on to helm 1999's From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, My Name Is Modesty and Hostel: Part III. He also executive-produced the Hostel series. As an actor, he made many minor appearances in Raimi's studio films, including Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Drag Me to Hell, and 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.