Director Jonathan Demme, best known for for his Oscar winning thriller Silence of the Lambs, died yesterday morning in New York. The filmmaker died of complications from esophageal cancer.
Demme also helmed the Tom Hanks drama Philadelphia, as well as Married to the Mob, Something Wild, the remake of The Manchurian Candidate starring Denzel Washington, and the Anne Hathaway indie film Rachel Getting Married.
“Sadly, I can confirm that Jonathan passed away early this morning in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by his wife, Joanne Howard, and three children,” his publicist said. There will be a private family funeral.