Jonathan Demme, who directed the Oscar-winning movie "The Silence of the Lambs," has died at age 73 from esophageal cancer.
Demme also directed "Philadelphia," which starred Tom Hanks as an AIDS victim, and "Beloved," based on the Toni Morrison novel and starring Oprah Winfrey, and many others. "Silence of the Lambs" was his most popular movie, however, according to CNN.
The film, based on the Thomas Harris novel, won Oscars for best picture, best female actor Jodie Foster, and best male actor Anthony Hopkins, who played villain Hannibal Lecter.
Demme also won a best director Oscar for the 1991 film.
The New York Times said Demme had "a discerning eye, a social conscience, and a rock 'n' roll heart," adding that his body of work "resists easy characterization." Demme loved music and peppered his films with music by everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Justin Timberlake.
"Music was my first love, movies came second," Demme told The SoHo News, now defunct, the Times reported.
Demme’s most recent work was an episode of the Fox police drama "Shots Fired," which is scheduled to air on April 26, the date his death was announced, Variety reported.
Jodie Foster said she was "heartbroken" to lose Demme, adding, "Jonathan was as quirky as his comedies and as deep as his dramas, He was pure energy; the unstoppable cheerleader for anyone creative," CNN reported.
Tom Hanks called Demme "the grandest of men," saying, "Jonathan taught us how big a heart a person can have, and how it will guide how we live and what we do for a living," CNN reported.
Twitter was brimming with accolades.
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