'Avatar' Producer Jon Landau Dies at 63, James Cameron Pens Tribute to Late Collaborator

justjared.com:

James Cameron is paying tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator Jon Landau. The Academy Award-winning producer, most well known for the Avatar movies, as well as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Alita: Battle Angel and Titanic, passed away at the age of 63 on Friday (July 5), his son Jamie Landau confirmed to THR. Keep reading to find out more… Jon passed away after a 16-month long battle with cancer, according to a Disney spokesperson.

Following the loss of his friend and longtime collaborator, James Cameron shared an emotional tribute to the late producer. “A great producer and a great human being has left us. Jon Landau believed in the dream of cinema.

He believed that film is the ultimate human art form, and to make films you have to first be human yourself. He will be remembered as much for his vast generosity of spirit as for the movies themselves,” he shared in a statement with THR. “I worked with Jon Landau for 31 years and I never saw him downcast once,” James went on. “He led with a balance of humor and fierce will, and true joy in the work.

When I met him, he was the studio ‘suit’ assigned to oversee True Lies in ’93. In the midst of the logistical nightmare of that production we came to respect and enjoy each other.