Jon Landau, an Oscar award-winning producer who backed James Cameron's movies 'Titanic' and 'Avatar' breathed his last. He was 63.
As per AP, Disney Entertainment co-chairman, Alan Bergman, in a statement on Saturday, announced Jon Landau's death. The cause of his death is not known yet.
He said, “Jon was a visionary whose extraordinary talent and passion brought some of the most unforgettable stories to life on the big screen. His remarkable contributions to the film industry have left an indelible mark, and he will be profoundly missed. He was an iconic and successful producer yet an even better person and a true force of nature who inspired all around him''.
For the unversed, Landau started his career in 1980 as a production manager, and eventually he became the producer of 'Titanic'. James Cameron's 1997 movie went on to become the first movie to cross $1 billion at the global box-office and won 11 Oscars, including the Best Picture.
Landau while accepting the award with Cameron, said, ''I can’t act and I can’t compose and I can’t do visual effects. I guess that’s why I’m producing.”
Cameron and Landau's pairing gave these three blockbusters- 'Titanic', 'Avatar' and its sequel, 'Avatar: The Way of Water'. 'Avatar' that released in 2009, surpassed the box-office success of 'Titanic'. It is the top-grossing film of all time.
In 2022, ahead of 'Avatar's sequel's release, Landau told The Associated Press, “A lot has changed but a lot hasn’t. One of the things that has not changed is: Why do people turn to entertainment today? Just like they did when the first ‘Avatar’ was released, they do it to escape, to escape the world in which we live.”
At the age of 29, Jon Landau became the executive vice president of feature movies at 20th Century Fox where he oversaw some of the blockbusters like 'Home Alone, 'Mrs. Doubtfire' and 'True Lies' and 'The Last of the Mohicans' among others.
May Jon Landau's soul rest in peace and we offer out heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
