Director Jonathan Demme Dead At Age 73

(AOTN) We are deeply saddened to learn that director Jonathan Demme has passed away at the age of 73. Demme is best-known as the director of the award-winning and critically acclaimed 1991 film “The Silence Of The Lambs”.  According to his publicist, Demme’s death was a result of a battle with esophageal cancer and complications of heart disease.

Demme’s film “The Silence Of The Lambs” was only the third film in history to win Academy Awards in all of the top five categories which included Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. While “The Silence Of The Lambs” was in the category of thriller much of Demme’s additional work was on quirkier films such as 1980’s “Melvin and Howard” and “Married To The Mob”.  He was never afraid to delve into multiple genres and other work included a remake of political thriller “The Manchurian Candidate” with Denzel Washington, and the Anne Hathaway indie drama “Rachel Getting Married.”

Demme also brought the story of “Philadelphia” to the screen which earned Tom Hanks his first Academy Award win for Best Actor for his role as a gay attorney. Demme also directed several music videos for artists such as The Talking Heads and New Order to name a few.  He also directed several documentaries for The Pretenders, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. Music played a huge role in majority of Demme’s projects.  One of his last films was 2015’s “Ricki and The Flash” which starred Meryl Streep as a rock star who had to return to her hometown roots, however the film was not considered a box office success.

According to his publicist, “Jonathan passed away early this morning in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by his wife, Joanne Howard, and three children and there will be a private funeral.” Our sincere condolences go out to Jonathan’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time!

 

About Kristyn Clarke

I am a journalist and interviewer who is completely obsessed with music, TV, film and all other aspects of pop culture! I am currently the Director of Operations for PopCultureMadness.com and my work can also be found on MusicMayhemMagazine.com, TheRockRevival.com, and TryItToday.com! Have my B.S. in Television/Video Production from Wilmington University and have been working in online media for the past ten years and loving every moment of it!

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