Mike Nichols has died at the age of 83

Some rather sad and shocking news this morning as famed director Mike Nichols has died at the age of 83. The man behind classics like The Graduate and Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf died suddenly on Wednesday. Hitfix is hearing that the cause of death was cardiac arrest, but that has not been confirmed by anyone close to the story at this point. His passing was announced by ABC News President James Goldston. In a short statement, Goldston said "He was a true visionary, winning the highest honors in the arts for his work as a director, writer, producer and comic and was one of a tiny few to win the EGOT- an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony in his life time. No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike....Mike and Diane were married for 26 years. He leaves behind three children- Daisy, Max and Jenny- and four wonderful grandchildren.....The family will hold a small, private service this week, and a memorial will be held at a later date." This quote came from Deadline Hollywood, who was one of the first outlets to report the story.

Nichols was married to Diane Sawyer and was also one of the most esteemed theater directors of all time. His last film came in 2007 in the form of Charlie Wilson's War, which was nominated for one Oscar. He also directed Angels in America, Biloxi Blues and Working Girl over the course of his career. Nichols really was an incredible talent. I remember how stunned I was the first time I saw The Graduate, and it still is one of my favorite films. Nichols did a lot to advance both the medium of film and the art of theater, and he will be sorely missed.

Sources: Deadline, Hitfix