Oscar-Winning Director Sebastián Lelio Dies at 52 Amid Ongoing Film Projects

See more of our coverage in your search results.

Sebastián Lelio, the Oscar-winning Chilean director behind “A Fantastic Woman,” has died at 52 after succumbing to “health complications.”

The director was found dead at his home in Santiago, Chile, around midday Friday by his longtime partner, actress Amalia Kassai, who called the cops after making the devastating discovery, local outlet Emol reported.

“With great sadness, we announce the death, following health complications, of Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio,” his family wrote in a statement.

“We are going through a time of profound grief, and his memory will remain with us forever. He was a wonderful person who made significant contributions to Chilean culture at important moments in its history. As a family, we ask for privacy and consideration during these difficult times.”

Lelio’s family did not share his exact cause of death, and it is not clear if the filmmaker was battling health issues in recent weeks.

Kassai shared a heartbreaking ode to her late beau, saying Lelio was “for many, an important person.”

“I love you in this life and in all the lives to come,” Kassai wrote alongside a carousel of loved-up pictures of the couple.

“He illuminated everything and everything around him … Only love remains.”

Lelio was in the midst of filming an adaptation of Alejandro Zambra’s novel “Chilean Poet” and was working on the highly anticipated movie “Voyagers” starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

His work includes several blockbuster films, including “Gloria,” “The Wave,” “The Wonder,” “Disobedience,”  “A Fantastic Woman” and “The Year of the Tiger.” Throughout his career, he collaborated with Julianne Moore, Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh.

He won the 2018 Academy Award for Best International Film — marking Chile’s second Oscar ever, following the animated short “Bear Story” in 2016.

Lelio was born in the Argentine city of Mendoza and moved to Chile at just two years old. He studied journalism for a year before enrolling at the Chilean Film School.