'13 Going on 30' Director Gary Winick Dies at 49

By Moviefone Editors Posted Mar 1st 2011 12:01AM

While all of Hollywood was busy celebrating the Oscars on Sunday night, some sad news hit Twitter: Filmmaker Gary Winick passed away at the too-young age of 49.

Cinetic's Matt Dentler broke the news, stating, "Gary Winick died today. Too late to make the Oscars tribute, but way too early. He leaves behind a legacy of supporting indie film and NYC." Winick would have turned 50 next month.

Fox News is reporting that Winick died of brain cancer. His manager, Rosalie Swedlin, is quoted saying, "He was suffering from brain cancer for quite some time, and it ultimately metastasized throughout his body."

She continues, "What's remarkable is that after his first surgery, he was able to direct 'Letters to Juliet.' It was a battle that we thought he had won, and ultimately they just didn't get it all."

Best known for his work on films like 'Charlotte's Web,' 'Letters to Juliet' and '13 Going on 30,' Winick's real legacy is something much greater than those films. The filmmaker will long be remembered by serious film fans for his efforts in spearheading the digital film revolution.

Winick was one of the founders of InDigEnt, short for Independent Digital Entertainment, an organization that encouraged indie filmmakers to shoot their films on digital cameras and for under $100,000.

It is quite clear that the indie film scene has lost an important piece of its history and one of its greatest champions.

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