Gene Wilder dies: Blazing Saddles and Willy Wonka actor passes away, aged 83

Warner Bros.
Mark Chandler30 August 2016
The Weekender

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Comedy actor Gene Wilder has died at the age of 83, his family has announced.

The star, known to generations of youngsters as Willy Wonka from the film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, died earlier this month.

His family said the actor had died in Stamford, Connecticut, after struggling with Alzheimer's.

He passed away after succumbing to complications from the disease, which he had battled privately for the past three years, the statement said.

Gene Wilder - In pictures

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During his film career, Wilder also appeared in classic comedies including Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, receiving an Oscar nomination for the latter movie.

He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor following his performance in 1968 film The Producers.

Wilder's nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, said the actor had chosen to keep his Alzheimer's secret so that children who knew him as Willy Wonka would not equate the whimsical character with an adult disease.

He said: "It is with indescribable sadness and blues, but with spiritual gratitude for the life lived that I announce the passing of husband, parent, and universal artist Gene Wilder, at his home in Stamford Connecticut.

"It is almost unbearable for us to contemplate life without him."

His friend Mel Brooks, who directed The Producers, wrote on Twitter: "Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship."

Besides his classic collaborations with Mel Brooks, Wilder also paired with Richard Pryor in hits Silver Streak and Stir Crazy.

Wilder also was active in promoting ovarian cancer awareness and treatment after his wife, Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner, whom he married in 1984, died of the disease in 1989.

He helped found the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center in Los Angeles and co-founded Gilda's Club, a support group that has branches throughout the US.

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