Writer and Director Nora Ephron Gravely Ill, Friends Say

Nora Ephron poses for photographs at the Washington Jewish Literary Festival in Washington, D.C., Sept. 6, 2006. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

The writer and director Nora Ephron is gravely ill in her battle with leukemia, sources close to the family told ABC News.

Ephron, the writer of such iconic films as "When Harry Met Sally," "Sleepless in Seattle," and "You've Got Mail," is 71 years old. Newspaper columnist Liz Smith told ABC that Ephron's funeral is already planned, and that Ephron is "deathly ill."

Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Nora Ephron poses for photographs at the... View Full Size

Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Nora Ephron poses for photographs at the Washington Jewish Literary Festival in Washington, D.C., Sept. 6, 2006.

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Writer Richard Cohen also confirmed to ABC News that Ephron's death is "imminent."

A source close to Ephron confirmed those reports.

Ephron is married to writer and filmmaker Nicholas Pillegi, 79, and is the mother of two children from her previous marriage to journalist Carl Bernstein.

In recent years, Ephron earned acclaim for her novel about aging, "I Feel Bad About My Neck," as well as the play she coauthored with her daughter, "Love, Lost, and What I Wore."

She also wrote and directed the 2009 film "Julie and Julia," starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

Ephron has won three Academy Awards for her work.