PLSN was saddened to learn of the passing of Special Effects legend, Richard C. Huggins. Here’s an In Memoriam from Jason Reberski, CEO of Chicago-based rental firm JRLX, Inc. and a mentee of Huggins.
Richard C. Huggins, Founder of Theatre Magic and SFX Design, Inc. has sadly passed away. He was 78 years old and is survived by his son Cameron, and daughters Tiffany and Sarah. He was the inventor of the iconic FR-1 Fogmaster Smoke Machine, the HR-3 Hazer, and the LF-1 Liquid Nitrogen Fog Machine. He also designed and created hundreds of custom effects on movies like Gettysburg, Broadway shows including Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, and Brigadoon, as well as live spectaculars such as Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage, in Las Vegas, and even theme park rides such as King Kong at Universal Studios. He also produced custom indoor snow systems for Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes.
A wonderful man and a mentor to the next generation of special effects artists (and a close personal friend of mine) who was always happy to share his countless stories and experiences; Richard had a knack for visualizing the inner workings of an effect on a deep engineering level and a “sixth sense” when solving mechanical, hydraulic, and atmospheric problems. Richard approached every special effect with his mantra at the forefront: “Special effects is the selective “misuse” of tools, materials, and technology.” He will be greatly missed.
