Popular film critic Jimmy Martin passed away yesterday on June 18. KSL-5 TV and the Geek Show Podcast announced his death as many fans paid tribute.
Jimmy Martin, who was a member of the Utah Film Critics Association, started his career as a film critic in 2008 with SLUG Magazine. He was a film critic for KLS-TV, noted for his “fantastic personality and unparalleled celebrity interviews.”
Jimmy was also the co-host of the Geek Show Podcast.
Martin’s cause of death is unknown with KLS-TV noting his death was unexpected. Many tributes poured in recalling his infectious personality and love of filmmaking.
Utah lost a true movie fan yesterday with the death of film critic Jimmy Martin (@jimmymartinfilm). Here he is in 2012 with Peek Award recipient Carrie Fisher and fellow @GeekShow Podcasters Shannon Barnson & Jeff Vice. His energetic love of movies and geekdom will be missed. pic.twitter.com/67pQzgUYbz
— Utah Film Center (@UtahFilmCenter) June 19, 2019
The Utah film critic community is heartbroken over the loss of our friend and colleague Jimmy Martin yesterday. I’m going to miss his irreverence and his love of movies. This fucking sucks.
— Scott Renshaw (@scottrenshaw) June 19, 2019
It is with great sadness we hear of the loss of #moviereviewer and @GeekShow co-host, Jimmy Martin. We knew Jimmy in passing, but his TV segments and the rest of the Geek Show crew's movie talk was one of many reasons we started this podcast. @KUTV2News @jimmymartinfilm
— VSMP (@VSMoviePodcast) June 19, 2019
Before beginning his career, Jimmy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree for Film and Communication and a Masters in Film and Multimedia, according to his Utah Film Association bio.
Martin recently interviewed the cast of Shaft this month, causing shock for many fans concerning his death.
The Geek Show podcast released a statement on Facebook about Jimmy’s tragic death.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that our friend, comrade, and brother, Jimmy Martin, has passed away. We appreciate everyone’s support while we process this very difficult situation. We will be raising money to help the family with funeral expenses, if you would like to contribute, donations can be sent via PayPal to [email protected], and the full amount will be turned over to the family to help. Thanks again, and watch a movie you love today. Jimmy would dig that.”
Jimmy Martin interviewed several TV and movie stars during his career including Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen and many more.