People News

Nora Ephron Dies at 71

By April MacIntyre Jun 27, 2012, 0:50 GMT

Marlo Thomas and Nora Ephron - Nora Ephron, the celebrated screenwriter and director, died of leukemia Tuesday evening in New York, according to The New York Times. © Bernadette Giacomazzo/PR Photos

Nora Ephron, the celebrated screenwriter and director, died of leukemia Tuesday evening in New York, according to The New York Times.

Ephron wrote the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally (1989),Sleepless in Seattle (1989) and You've Got Mail (1998).

A premature obituary penned by friend gossip columnist Liz Smith was published by the website Wowowow.com.  Smith told The Hollywood Reporter she spoke to Ephron's son Jacob Bernstein.

“I was told this morning that she was dying, but I can’t confirm it,” she said. Smith went on to say that Bernstein told her that the family was planning for the funeral. But when no confirmation of Ephron’s death was forthcoming, Smith revised what she wrote.

“I have had to put everything in the present tense,” she wrote. “It’s bad enough that she’s dying, but I don’t want to be the cause for everyone to grieve in advance."

Her feature screenwriting debut was in 1983 with Mike Nichols' Silkwood. She was Oscar nominated three times for the Silkwood, Harry and Sleepless screenplays.

Ephron recently directed 2009's Julie & Julia, which starred Meryl Streep as Julia Child.

Ephron leaves behind husband Nicholas Pileggi and two sons, Jacob and Max Bernstein, from her previous marriage to reporter Carl Bernstein.