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JONATHAN DEMME, THE Oscar-winning director, died in New York today, his publicist has said. He was 73.
Born on Long Island in New York, Demme won an Academy Award in 1992 as best director of the thriller The Silence of the Lambs starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodi Foster.
Demme went on to direct Philadelphia in 1993, which earned Tom Hanks an Oscar as best actor for portraying a lawyer fighting for justice after contracting HIV.
He also directed a number of music documentaries, including Talking Heads‘ Stop Making Sense.
“I can confirm that Jonathan passed away early this morning in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by his wife, Joanne Howard, and three children,” his publicist said in a brief statement.
“He died from complications from esophageal cancer [sic] and is survived by his children Ramona, age 29, and her husband James Molloy, Brooklyn, age 26, and Jos, age 21.”
Tributes
His death led to an immediate outpouring of grief from fans, friends and former colleagues.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of the most brilliant man — director, father, friend, activist,” wrote British actress Thandie Newton on Twitter. “Devastating to let him go. I love you,” she added.
Demme will be laid to rest at a private family funeral. In place of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to a Florida-based charity that works to protect immigrants, Americans For Immigrant Justice.
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A true visionary. Silence of the lambs was pretty much perfect. Such a loss.
RIP to a stylish director who leaves a great legacy. Surprised that he was 73, I thought he was much younger than that. And screw you, cancer.
I’ve never in my life seen such a filthy cruel thing as cancer. Lost loved ones and friends the past year and an half to it. It takes everything away except one’s character one’s courage and one’s love and those it limns with glory I suppose. But really behind that there is nothing to say for it and little to say for our efforts at curing it in my experience. Throw bag after bag of poison at it until we either kill it,or it kills us.
hope he’s having some fava beans and a nice chianti
@David Peate: hope he’s having an old friend for dinner….RIP
Before he hit gold, he made a brilliantly simple video for new order’s song “the perfect kiss”. A sign of brilliant cinematography and creativity in an 8 minute soundtrack from a shed in Manchester. Cancer is an awful bollix.
Ate breakfast a couple of times with him at the skylark diner in Nyack when I had a part-time supers job on Francis Avenue, he lived in an old colonial down on the river. We where both fiends for the corn beef hash. He clearly enjoyed the company of the regular folk. RIP
Stop making sense
Philadelphia was such a powerful film.
Another really talented man lost that God forsaking disease.
See comments for our true green blooded Irishman are closed…
Was it The Ambassador that showed Stop Making Sense?. There was a strange wiff of smoke in the room. By the end we were all dancing in the aisles. Happy out.
Anyone that can evoke the emotions feelings and fears that he did by making a movie like silence of the lambs is a genius.
R.I.P
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