The man responsible for the sets of "Alien" died on Monday from injuries sustained from a fall, said his museum, according to The Associated Press.

The 74-year-old surrealist artist was born in Chur, a Swiss town, in 1940 as Hans Rudolf. He became known for his works of art, which mixed humans and machines into "hellish hybrids." This talent was hugely useful for the 1979 film "Alien," which he won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects the following year.

His work was centered around the similarities between humans and machines. But he started off by studying architecture and industrial design. He then started doing ink drawings and working with polyester, until he moved onto large freehand, where his creatures came to life. Melli, his mother, encouraged his art, and he was always devoted to her.

The art he produced was unconventional and revolved around sex and death. In 1960s Switzerland, it wasn't appreciated. A host of his early works had to wipe spit off of the gallery's windows every day.

Giger's surrealist images fused human parts with industrial parts, forming something he called "biomechanical."

"My paintings seem to make the strongest impression on people who are, well, who are crazy," he said in a 1979 interview with Starlog magazine. "A good many people think as I do. If they like my work they are creative ... or they are crazy."

His sculptures, paintings, furnitures and other works are on display in his museum, which is located in a Gruyeres medieval castle. It is run by Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger, his second wife. The museum was opened in 1998, and it also displays Giger's personal art collection, such as his Salvador Dali works.

In 1975, his partner, Li Tobler, who was an actress and served as his model, committed suicide. In 1982, he married Mia Bonzanigo, who he eventually divorced.