Lynda Obst dead at 74: Sleepless in Seattle and Flashdance producer succumbs to COPD

Hollywood shaper Lynda Obst, who worked connected a fig of deed films specified arsenic Sleepless successful Seattle, has died astatine the property of 74 pursuing a conflict with chronic obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD).

Obst - who was an enforcement shaper connected the deed 1993 rom-com starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan - passed distant Tuesday astatine her location successful Los Angeles, her lad Oly Obst told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Oly called his precocious parent 'an astonishing mother, sister and champion friend' arsenic good arsenic 'a trailblazer and a fierce advocator for women.'

Oly said helium and his spouse Julie 'will miss her' and 'are incredibly grateful that she was my ma and that my daughters got to person her arsenic a grandmother.'

Oly, a shaper who besides worked arsenic his mother's manager, told THR that his precocious parent was 'surrounded by loved ones' erstwhile she passed away.

Among Obst's different credits included 1983's Flashdance, 1989's Adventures successful Babysitting, 1991's The Fisher King, 1997's Contact, 2003's How to Lose a Guy successful 10 Days and 2014's Interstellar.

Obst received an Emmy information successful 1999 for Outstanding Miniseries for her enactment connected Julia Stiles successful The '60s. In caller years, Obst had produced TV shows including Hot successful Cleveland, The Hot Zone, Good Girls Revolt and Helix.

Obst's member Rick Rosen, the TV caput astatine the bureau WME, said his precocious sister 'was ever happiest erstwhile she was astir the family' successful a connection to the outlet.

'Our household is immensely arrogant of the vocation that she had and the relation exemplary she was for women successful the industry,' Rosen said, 'but beyond that, we volition ever retrieve her unthinkable emotion of our family.'

Obst opened up astir her wellness conflict with the work successful February, joking that COPD translated to 'Spanish for, "I f***ed up my lungs"' arsenic it has nary cure, progressively worsens and tin effect successful death.

Obst said she smoked cigarettes and marijuana implicit 5 decades and that she hoped her downturn successful wellness could supply others with a crushed to cease with their habits, arsenic they could pb down a akin way to her own.

She noted to the work that she had to usage a portable oxygen instrumentality to assistance with breathing inn her aboriginal years.

'I precise overmuch privation radical to cognize that you could beryllium the 1 deed with the fickle digit of fate, and I privation to beryllium wide what the consequences of smoking are,' Obst told the publication. 'It's not the mode you privation to walk your status oregon your past 10, 20 oregon 30 years.'

The outlet credited Obst for being 'a fierce champion of women' and skilled networker who developed 'close, longtime relationships' with radical crossed Hollywood, including CAA exec Bryan Lourd.

Lourd antecedently told the outlet that Obst was 'was precise savvy and astute astir however things worked and however movies got enactment together' and possessed 'crazy intuitive quality and taste.'

He added: 'She loved the assemblage arsenic overmuch arsenic she loved the filmmakers and understood that the eventual triumph was erstwhile you could tick some boxes successful making thing large with large radical and creating an acquisition for the assemblage that was not lone satisfying and entertaining but moving.'

Obst, a autochthonal of Harrison, New York, had besides authored a brace of books astir amusement concern - 1996's Hello, He Lied & Other Tales From the Hollywood Trenches and 2013's Sleepless successful Hollywood: Tales From the New Abnormal successful the Movie Business. 

Obst was remembered fondly for her contributions to the amusement manufacture by a fig of her peers arsenic quality dispersed of her passing.

Director Paul Feig said, 'This is incredibly sad. I was fortunate capable to get to cognize Linda respective years agone and she was specified a beauteous astute person. This is simply a precise bittersweet nonaccomplishment for the industry. My bosom goes retired to her lad Oly and her full family. RIP Linda.'

Screenwriter Jon Shaivitz called Obst, his one-time boss, an 'absolute legend' successful life.

'Working for Lynda Obst was the 1st happening I did erstwhile I got to LA 15 years ago,' Shaivitz said. 'She was an astonishing shaper & told maine precisely what I needed to perceive to support moving forward. I learned truthful overmuch from her ... eden got different shining prima today. Ty & RIP, Lynda.'

Agent Joe Veltre wrote, 'RIP Lynda Obst. A superb shaper and writer who shaped the movie manufacture successful truthful galore ways. Her publication Hello, He Lied & Other Tales from the Hollywood Trenches remains an indispensable work for anyone navigating Hollywood. She volition beryllium missed.'

According to THR, Obst's household is arranging a backstage ceremonial service, and are readying an lawsuit successful her grant for adjacent twelvemonth with the Producers Guild of America.