Nora Ephron, writer of When Harry Met Sally, dies from leukemia at age of 71
By Linda Massarella and Louise Boyle
Nora Ephron, the writer of iconic movies When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, has died at the age of 71.
The author and screenwriter had fought a six-year battle with leukemia and finally succumbed to the disease.
This afternoon one of her colleagues predicted her death was 'imminent'. Writer Richard Cohen told ABC News that Nora was not expected to make it through the night.
Great talent: Writer Nora Ephron, pictured in 2010, has died from leukemia aged 71
Timeless: One of Ephron's greatest creations' When Harry Met Sally, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, set the precedent for a new style of romantic comedies
Her agent Bryan Lourd confirmed the news. Newspaper columnist Liz Smith broke the story this morning in a wowOwow article that eulogized the scriptwriter, saying her family, including her husband of 20 years, the writer Nicholas Pileggi, had already planned the funeral.
'I won't say, "Rest in peace, Nora" - I will ask, "What the hell will we do without you?"' Smith wrote. The column, which was written as if Ephron had already died, was later removed from the site.
Ephron was born on May 19, 1941 in New York City and at the age of four moved to Beverly Hills with her screenwriting parents Henry and Phoebe.
With Tom Hanks: Ephron wrote Sleepless in Seattle and also directed the 1998 film
Best director: Ephron won a 2011 Director's Guild of America award for directing actress Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia. She also wrote the screenplay
One of her greatest successes was When Harry Met Sally, the 1989 romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, about two friends who fall in love despite their own misgivings that the 'sex part always gets in the way'.
The film struck a chord with audiences for its quirky dialogue and turned Ephron's writing into movie studio gold.
A few years later, she wrote and directed the equally successful Sleepless in Seattle, pairing Meg Ryan with Tom Hanks followed by You've Got Mail, also starring Ryan and Hanks.
When Harry Met Sally earned an Academy Award nomination for its screenplay in 1990 and then four years later, Ephron was nominated again for Sleepless in Seattle.
Tear jerker: Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in the wildly popular Sleepless in Seattle, directed and written by Ephron
Another hit: Ephron also wrote and directed You've Got Mail - again starring Hanks and Ryan
The former journalist earned her first Oscar nomination for writing the 1983 movie Silkwood, starring Meryl Streep.
Streep also starred in two further films that Ephron wrote, Julia & Julia in 2009, and Heartburn in 1986 about Ephron's failed marriage to Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein.
The writer was married three times but it was her second turbulent marriage to Bernstein that caused her to write the 1983 blockbuster novel which was later adapted for the screen.
Broken heart: Nora wrote Heartburn after husband No. 2, Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein - seen together in 1978 - had an affair with a mutual friend
It focused on Bernstein's affair with the couple's mutual friend, Margaret Jay, who was married to the British ambassador to the U.S.
The marriage crumbled but Ephron was highly praised for creating unusually strong female characters in her work.
Her talent for being able to bring to life flawed but deeply likeable and funny women made her beloved by movie audiences.
She is survived by her husband along with sisters Delia Ephron and Amy Ephron, both of whom are also writers.
Strong female leads: Ephron was acclaimed for the way she wrote for women. Her first film was the 1983 Silkwood, starring Streep
All stars: Ephron liked working with the same actors. She directed Streep in the 2010 hit, Julie and Julia