Oscar nominated and Emmy award-winning director and producer Jean-Marc Vallee has died, his production company's publicist said on Sunday. Vallee died aged 58 at Quebec City, Canada. No cause of his death was given but Vallee death looks a bit mysterious given that he died suddenly in his cabin.
Mourning his unexpected death, his long-time producing partner Nathan Ross said Vallée "stood for creativity" and "authenticity". Vallee won an Emmy for directing the hit HBO series 'Big Little Lies' and his 2013 drama 'Dallas Buyers Club' earned multiple Oscar nominations.
Unexpected Death
According to his representative Bumble Ward, Vallee died suddenly in his cabin outside Quebec City, Canada, over the weekend. Ward said that Vallee's death had been unexpected, without giving any cause of his death. This has left many guessing if there is foul play angle to the sudden death of the filmmaker.
According to reports, Vallee's family members and friends are also equally "shocked" by his death. "He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me," Ross, a partner in Vallée's production company Crazyrose, said in a statement. "The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on."
"He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy," he wrote. "Everyone who worked with him couldn't help but see the talent and vision he possessed.
In a separate statement, HBO added that Vallee was "a brilliant, fiercely dedicated filmmaker, a truly phenomenal talent who infused every scene with a deeply visceral, emotional truth".
Vallee is survived by his two sons – Alex and Emile, whom he shares with ex-wife Chantal Cadieux, a Canadian playwright whom Vallee was married to for more than 15 years, from 1990 to 2006. The family is yet to give any official statement on his death.
Vallee is also survived by siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephane Tousignant and Gerald Vallee.
End of an Illustrious Career
Vallee started his career directing Canadian music videos and short subjects. He then made his feature debut with the French-language film "Liste noire," also known by its English title "Black List."
He directed Emily Blunt in 2009′s "The Young Victoria" but his breakthrough film in the United States was "Dallas Buyers Club," a film based on the true story of an AIDS patient who becomes a distributor of experimental treatments. Although Vallee didn't win an Academy Award for direction, the film's stars Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto both won Oscars for their performances.
Over the past decade, Vallee directed stars including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. He first director Witherspoon in 2014's "Wild".
He re-teamed with the actress to direct the first season of "Big Little Lies" in 2017. A year later, he directed Adams in "Sharp Objects," also for HBO. The maverick director won DGA awards for both.
Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, also paid tribute on Monday, describing the director as "a prodigious talent".
