Leslie Nielsen dies aged- aww shit, Irvin Kershner too?

Two movie legends have passed away, both special in their own way. And don't call me Shirl- oh, you didn't.

Judging by the amount of poorly-spelled tributes to Leslie Nielsen in my Facebook feed this morning, it's clear that The Naked Gun star will be remembered fondly. Having passed on at the age of 84, following complications after a bout of pneumonia, Nielsen leaves behind a bizarre movie legacy: 30 years of being a straight man, followed by 30 years of sending up the very same roles.

I could blather on about how Leslie Nielsen helped shape my love of comedy, about the brilliance of Police Squad! and his impeccable deadpan delivery that made Airplane! such a classic. But, of course, you've doubtless already read a thousand more eloquent tributes, so all that's left to say is... stand down, Lieutenant Drebin. Good job.

Having just come to terms with losing a comedic superstar like Nielsen, news came in about the passing of another movie legend, albeit one who'll be remembered for a very different reason. Irvin Kershner, the 87 year-old director of The Empire Strikes Back, died today in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, George Lucas deliberated for 40 minutes on whether to open his third bag of Doritos, before deciding yes, he should.

Kershner, you'll remember, took the reigns of Empire away from George Lucas, who later famously claimed it was his least favourite of the trilogy, proving himself to be an utter spaz once and for all. It was Kershner who had Harrison Ford change the line "I love you too" to "I know". It was Kershner who insisted on ending the movie on a downer. The best Star Wars movie ever made? It was all because of Irvin Kershner.

He did direct other movies in his time, but Robocop 2 and unofficial Bond retread Never Say Never Again weren't destined to be quite so well-received as his most famous of sequels. And who cares that the man finished his career helming episodes of SeaQuest DSV? He directed The fucking Empire fucking Strikes Back.

No more dead people this week please, universe. If you absolutely must, I'm pretty sure I can find Mark Wahlberg's address somewhere.