Reuters reported on Monday, Jan. 21 that iconic British director Michael Winner has died at the age of 77. Winner has diagnosed in the summer of 2012 with heart and liver problems of which doctors gave him between eighteen months and two years to live. After a lengthy film career, Winner had a name for himself later in life as an opinionated restaurant critic for The Sunday Times newspaper.
Winner's wife Geraldine was with him when he passed away at home and released a statement saying, "A light has gone out in my life." The couple first met in 1957, became engaged in 2007 and married on September 19, 2011.
Born Michael Robert Winner on October 30, 1935, Winner is well known for directing the the thriller Death Wish in 1974, based on the novel by Brian Garfield. The film starred Charles Bronson and the pair teamed up again for Death Wish II (1985) in the 1980s. Winner's other notable films include the horror film The Sentinel (1977), The Mechanic (1972), and Death Wish 3 (1985).
Several fans of Winner's work took to their official Twitter accounts to tweet their condolences and thoughts:
Piers Morgan: "Very sad to hear Michael Winner has died. Hilarious, often preposterous, always generous, highly intelligent man. And terrific writer. RIP"
Edgar Wright: "So long to the remarkable Mr. Michael Winner. Thank you for 'The Mechanic', for 'The Sentinel' and for 'Death Wish III'. You crazy genius."
Jeremy Clarkson: "Michael Winner was the only person is the world who was more punctual than me."
Source: Reuters
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