Richard Glatzer (above right), who wrote and directed the Oscar winning film Still Alice alongside husband Wash Westmoreland (above left), passed away Tuesday at the age of 63 after a four year battle with ALS.
Glatzer and Westmoreland adapted Still Alicefrom a novel by Lisa Genova. Shortly before they took on the project in 2011, Glatzer was diagnosed with ALS, and his condition rapidly deteriorated. Still, he never missed a day of filming.
At the end, Glatzer was able to “speak” only by tapping the big toe of his right foot on a specially designed iPad.
Glatzer and Westmoreland met in 1995 and married in 2013.
“I am devastated,” Westmoreland said Tuesday in a statement. “Rich was my soulmate, my collaborator, my best friend and my life. Seeing him battle ALS for four years with such grace and courage inspired me and all who knew him.
"In this dark time, I take some consolation in the fact that he got to see Still Alice go out into the world. He put his heart and soul into that film, and the fact that it touched so many people was a constant joy to him.
“Thank you to everyone for this huge outpouring of love. Richard was a unique guy — opinionated, funny, caring, gregarious, generous and so, so smart. A true artist and a brilliant man. I treasure every day of the short 20 years we had together.
Julianne Moore took home the Best Actress Oscar last month for her role in Still Alice and reacted to Glatzer's passing on Twitter:
'Still Alice' Writer-Director Richard Glatzer Dies at 63 http://t.co/eB0MwWwOa8 i love you richard.
— Julianne Moore (@_juliannemoore) March 12, 2015
Watch an interview of Moore talking about the film and the husband-directors AFTER THE JUMP...
