‘Silence of the Lambs’ director Jonathan Demme dies

The film director Jonathan Demme, best known for “The Silence of the Lambs” has died at the age of 73, according to his publicist quoted by Reuters. Demme, who also directed the Oscar winning film “Philadelphia” was suffering from esophageal cancer, publicist Annalee Paulo said in a statement. She added that he died in New York on Wednesday morning surrounded by his family. The filmmaker won the directing Oscar for the 1991 thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” which also won Oscars for best picture and for its stars Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. His most recent film was the 2015 comedy “Ricki and the Flash” starring Meryl Streep as an ageing rocker. Rest in Peace, dear Jonathan Demme. A great filmmaker and human being. You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/odOQ3bmHUp— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) April 26, 2017 Jonathan Demme’s life and career in photos https://t.co/phCW6IPera pic.twitter.com/lqbVW2rdcl— Variety (@Variety) April 26, 2017