▁what ▁great ▁work ▁he ▁could ▁still ▁do ▁when ▁his ▁projects ▁were ▁ade qu ately ▁fund ed . ▁The ▁entire ty ▁of ▁his ▁work ▁after ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁was ▁direct - to - video ▁films ▁of ▁very ▁low ▁quality , ▁none ▁of ▁which ▁were ▁distributed ▁the atr ically . ▁Rom ay ▁died ▁of ▁cancer ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 2 ▁at ▁age ▁ 5 7 , ▁after ▁which ▁Franco ▁died ▁in ▁April , ▁ 2 0 1 3 ▁from ▁natural ▁causes , ▁at ▁age ▁ 8 2 . ▁ ▁Franco ▁sometimes ▁worked ▁under ▁various ▁pseud onym s , ▁including ▁David ▁Kh une ▁and ▁Frank ▁H oll mann . ▁A ▁fan ▁of ▁jazz ▁music ▁( and ▁a ▁music ian ▁himself ), ▁many ▁of ▁his ▁pseud onym s ▁were ▁taken ▁from ▁jazz ▁mus icians ▁such ▁as ▁Cl iff ord ▁Brown ▁and ▁James ▁P . ▁Johnson . ▁ ▁Franco ' s ▁them es ▁often ▁revol ved ▁around ▁les bian ▁v amp ires , ▁women ▁in ▁prison , ▁surg ical ▁horror , ▁sad omas och ism , ▁z omb ies ▁and ▁sex p lo itation ▁( including ▁several ▁films ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁writ ings ▁of ▁the ▁Mar quis ▁de ▁S ade ). ▁He ▁worked ▁in ▁other ▁explo itation ▁film ▁gen res , ▁such ▁as ▁can n ib al ▁films , ▁sp y ▁films , ▁g ial lo , ▁crime ▁films , ▁science ▁fiction , ▁j ung le ▁advent ure , ▁Oriental ▁men ace , ▁ex or c ist ▁films , ▁war ▁mov ies , ▁historical ▁dram