Julianne Moore Remembers 'Still Alice' Director Richard Glatzer
Richard Glatzer died at 63, after four-year battle with ALS.
— -- Richard Glatzer, the writer and director of independent films -- including the Oscar-winning "Still Alice" -- is being remembered today as a lover of film.
Julianne Moore, who won an Oscar for her performance as Alice at the Academy Awards in February, wrote in a statement, "Richard was first and foremost a lover of film. Even after his ALS diagnosis in 2011, he felt compelled to continue his work as a filmmaker and storyteller. Many of his own experience in dealing with disease informed the adaptation of 'Still Alice.'"
Glatzer, 63, died Tuesday after a four-year battle with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, his publicist confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
His husband, Wash Westmoreland, who co-directed the film about a woman dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, wrote in a statement to the media: "I am devastated. Rich was my soul mate, 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."
Moore also paid tribute to Glatzer 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
In addition to "Still Alice," Glatzer co-directed with Westmoreland three other films, "The Last of Robin Hood," "Quinceañera, which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in 2006, and "The Fluffer."
He was diagnosed with ALS shortly after taking on "Still Alice." By the time of filming, he was in the advanced stages of the disease and would use one finger to type on a text-to-speech app on his iPad.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
