Carlo Rambaldi, 'E.T.' special-effects creator, dead at 86

Carlo Rambaldi, the Oscar-winning special effects master best known for creating the alien E.T. in Steven Spielberg's "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," died Aug. 10 in southern Italy after a long illness. He was 86.

Rambaldi three visual effects Academy Awards included Spielberg's 1982 classic about the cute extra-terrestial who yearned to go home, Ridley Scott's "Alien" (1979, and the 1976 version of "King Kong."

"Carlo Rambaldi was 'E.T.'s' Geppetto," said Spielberg about the fictional creator of Pinocchio. "All of us who marveled and wondered at his craft and artistry are deeply saddened by the news of his passing."