Mike Nichols, the highly-acclaimed Hollywood and Broadway director and producer, passed away on Wednesday. He had been in his Manhattan home when he died of cardiac arrest. Nichols was 83.
The passing of the legendary icon was officially announced in a statement by ABC News President James Goldston. In the announcement shared with the company's staff, Nichols was described as incomparable due to his immense talent and priceless contribution to the industry.
"In a triumphant career that spanned over six decades, Mike created some of the most iconic works of American film, television and theater-an astonishing canon ranging from The Graduate, Working Girl, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf to Closer, Charlie Wilson's War, Annie, Spamalot, The Birdcage, and Angels in America. He was a true visionary, winning the highest honors in the arts for his work as a director, writer, producer and comic and was one of a tiny few to win the EGOT-an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony."
Part of the statement also included a quote from Tom Stoppard, who described Nichols as a "giver", as well as someone "good at improving the shining hour and brightening the dark one". Stoppard further claimed that Nichols "is the best of America".
Prior to his death, Nichols had been slated to handle a new HBO project called 'Master Class'. The show is an adaptation of the Tony award-winning play of Terrence McNally that featured the life of Maria Callas. Nichols was supposed to work on the show with long-time friend Meryl Streep.
"An inspiration and joy to know, a director who cried when he laughed, a friend without whom, well, we can't imagine our world, an indelible irreplaceable man," Streep described Nichols following the news of his death.
Steven Spielberg mourned Nichols' passing and called his death a "seismic loss". He also praised his friend's "brilliant cinematic eye" and his "uncanny hearing for keeping scenes ironic and real."
"Mike was a friend, a muse, a mentor, one of America's all time greatest film and stage directors, and one of the most generous people I have ever known. For me, 'The Graduate' was life altering-both as an experience at the movies as well as a master class about how to stage a scene," the director shared in a statement sent to ABC News.
Nichols was married Diane Sawyer, a former anchor of 'ABC World News', for 26 years. He had three children, namely, Max, Jenny, and Daisy.
