Eminem has lost his look-alike.
Ryan Shepard, who worked as the rapper’s stunt double and stand-in for many years, died on Jan. 31 after he was hit by a truck, according to the Kennewick Police Department in Washington. He was 40.
The fatal incident occurred near a T-shaped intersection, where Shepard stepped onto the road and was struck by a vehicle heading southbound, per a police news bulletin shared on Facebook. Shepard was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Police said the driver of the truck remained at the scene and was not impaired at the time of the collision. An investigation is ongoing.
Back in the early aughts, Shepard served as Eminem’s body double in multiple productions, including in D12’s music video for “Purple Hills” and as the emcee’s superhero alter ego Rap Boy at his 2002 MTV Movie Awards performance. Shepard also worked as a stunt double on the North American, European and Japanese legs of Eminem’s Anger Management Tour.
Following his tenure as the star’s doppelganger, Shepard pursued a career in engineering, according to his LinkedIn. He worked for Walt Disney Imagineering as both a ride and show engineer for years before making the shift to SpaceX, where he was a test automation engineer. His resume also included stints at animatronics companies Romaire Studios and Garner Holt Productions.
Per TMZ, Shepard is survived by his two children: a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old.
His passing came four days before Eminem’s daughter, Hailie Jade, got engaged to longtime boyfriend Evan McClintock.
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