Director Ted Demme Dies

Jan. 15 -- Ted Demme, a Hollywood director who was on the fast track, collapsed while playing in a celebrity basketball game and died. He was 38.

The film and television director, whose credits include Blow, was rushed to the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center emergency room on Sunday in full cardiac arrest. According to Dr. Wally Jhurabi, resuscitation efforts failed and Demme passed away 20 minutes after he arrived. "We continued to recessitate his heart using medications and other tools," Jhurabi said. "Obviously, this is going to be a coroner's case because his age was only 38."

Producer of Yo! MTV Raps

Demme got his start as a producer of Yo! MTV Raps in 1988. His best-known flicks include The Ref with Denis Leary, Life with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, and last year's Blow with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. He also co-produced the Emmy-winning civil rights TV movie A Lesson Before Dying,.

Ted Demme was the nephew of director/producer Jonathan Demme, whose directing credits include Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia.

Ted Demme leaves behind a wife and two small children. ABC News Radio contributed to this report.