London
(ANI):
Pink
Panther
director
Blake
Edwards
has
died
of
pneumonia
at
the
age
of
88.
The
filmmaker"s
wife
Julie
Andrews" and
other
family
members
were
by
his
side
when
he
passed
away
at
the
St
John's
Medical
Health
Centre
in
Santa
Monica.
His
publicist
Gene
Schwam
said
the
director
had
been
receiving
hospital
treatment
for
two
weeks
prior
to
his
death.
Edwards,
who
suffered
from
knee
problems,
was
confined
to
wheelchair
for
about
last
2
years.
Before
being
hospitalized,
the
director
had
been
working
on
two
Broadway
musicals,
including
one
based
on
his
Pink
Panther
movies.
“His
heart
was
as
big
as
his
talent.
He
was
an
Academy
Award
winner
in
all
respects," the
Daily
Mail
quoted
Schwam,
who
was
friends
with
Edwards
for
over
40
years,
as
saying.
Apart
from
the
Pink
Panther
movies,
amongst
his
most
famous
films
were
Breakfast
At
Tiffany"s,
Victor/Victoria
and
10.
In
2004,
he
received
a
Lifetime
Achievement
Award
at
the
Oscars.