Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer renowned for his collaborations with James Cameron on cinema giants such as Titanic and Avatar has passed away at the age of 63.
The family of Landau announced his passing on Saturday, though the cause of death has yet to be disclosed. Success marked Landau and Cameron's partnership - they garnered three Oscar nods and clinched the best picture award for Titanic in 1997.
They've been powerhouse figures behind some of the most successful films ever made , including Avatar and its follow-up Avatar: The Way of Water.
Cameron, mourning the loss, expressed that Landau was "a dear friend, and my closest collaborator of 31 years." He described feeling as if "A part of myself has been torn away."
Cameron praised Landau for his exceptional film-making presence, saying: "His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades.
"His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set - indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique."
Landau began his ascent in the film industry during the 1980s as a production manager before moving up to co-produce features like Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Dick Tracy. At the tender age of 29, Landau became executive vice president of feature films at 20th Century Fox , which saw him steering blockbuster projects such as Home Alone and its sequel, Mrs. Doubtfire, and True Lies, where his partnership with Cameron began to take shape.
His venture into producing escalated with Titanic , Cameron's ambitious retelling of the tragic 1912 sea disaster which took $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales and swept up 11 Academy Awards, including best picture.
Landau, receiving the award alongside Cameron, mused: "I can't act and I can which can't compose and I can't do visual effects, so I guess that's why I'm producing."
Come 2009, they witnessed Avatar, an avant-garde, 3D sci-fi spectacular, eclipse the box-office figures of Titanic . It currently holds the title of the highest-grossing film ever .
"Jon was a visionary whose extraordinary talent and passion brought some of the most unforgettable stories to life on the big screen," Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman penned in a heartfelt tribute.
"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."
Landau was born into the world of cinema in 1960s New York to parents, film producers Ely and Edie Landau. The family moved to LA in the 1970s. Landau graduated from University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.
The Landau legacy includes his father, Ely, who died in 1995, and his mother, Edie, an Oscar-nominated luminary known for cinematic treasures such as Long Day's Journey Into Night and Hopscotch who died in 2022.
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Jon Landau leaves behind his wife of almost 40 years, Julie, and their sons, Jamie and Jodie.
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