STILL ALICE Writer & Director Richard Glatzer Dies at 63

The New York Post reports that Richard Glatzer, who co-wrote and directed the recent drama STILL ALICE, along with his husband, Wash Westmoreland, while battling ALS, passed away on Tuesday, March 10th in Los Angeles at the age of 63.

Glatzer was diagnosed in 2011 with ALS yet went on with the film project as he suffered through the initial phases of the devastating disease. According to the report, Glatzer communicated with the cast and technical team with one finger using a text-to-speech app on his iPad. By late 2014, Glatzer was only able to communicate by typing on the device with his big toe.

STILL ALICE star Julianne Moore received an Academy Award last month for her portrayal of an academic suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. Glatzer watched Moore's acceptance speech live from a hospital, where he was being treated for respiratory problems. Westmoreland was by his side.

In a statement released yesterday, Westmoreland shared, "I am devastated. Rich was my soul mate, my collaborator, my best friend and my life." He added, "Richard was a unique guy- opinionated, funny, caring, gregarious, generous, and so, so smart. A true artist and a brilliant man. I treasure every day of the short twenty years we had together," he said. "I cannot believe he has gone. But in my heart and the hearts of those who loved him he will always be alive."

Read the article in full here