Veteran Christian filmmaker Ken Curtis died Jan. 3 after a long battle with cancer in Palm Harbor, Fla. He was 71.

Curtis was the founder and president of Gateway Films/Vision Video and Christian History Institute. Doctors gave him eight months to live when he was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2002. "But the Lord gave dad eight years, and dad sure made the most of those eight years," his son, Bill, told Assist News Service (ANS).

Curtis—who produced The Cross and the Switchblade, a 1970 film starring Pat Boone as inner-city minister David Wilkerson and Erik Estrada as gang member Nicky Cruz—specialized in featuring the stories of early Christian pioneers such as William Tyndale and John Wycliffe through films and videos.

Released in 2006, Curtis' Reflections on Psalm 23 for People With Cancer DVD won multiple international awards. His films have garnered more than 30 awards, including an international Emmy, ANS reported.

Jim West, president of LegacyTV, said that Curtis "championed the use of film, tape and television to spread the good news of God's grace and redemption." "Many of the original productions in which he participated introduced to us the characters and stories of our spiritual heritage," West added.

Curtis—who also founded Christian History magazine—is survived by his wife, Dorothy; two children, Bill and Karen; as well as four grandchildren.

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