Oscar winning director Michael Cimino dies

Acclaimed director Michael Cimino, who won Oscars as director and a producer of the powerful 1978 Vietnam War drama “The Deer Hunter” has died. He was 77.

Thierry Fremaux, director of the Cannes Film Festival, announced the news on Twitter soon after his death on Saturday. Cimino had been living in Beverly Hills but no further details on the circumstances of his death has been found.

Actor Robert De Niro sent a statement mourning the director: "Our work together is something I will always remember. He will be missed."

Cimino directed eight films in his career. His first was 1974's “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot”; his second was the 1978 Vietnam War masterpiece “The Deer Hunter,” which won five Academy Awards, including best picture and director; his third was 1980's “Heaven's Gate,” the film that became synonymous with showbiz disaster; and the rest were mostly footnotes.

Source: THR