Gene Wilder death:
Star of Willy Wonka dies aged 83
US actor Gene Wilder, remembered by many for his namesake role
in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, has died at the age of 83, his family
confirmed.
The comic actor also starred in classic films such as The
Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.
Mr Wilder frequently collaborated with writer and director Mel
Brooks as well as stand-up comedian Richard Pryor.
The two-time Oscar-nominated actor was diagnosed with
non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1989.
Mr Wilder's nephew confirmed the actor died on Sunday in
Stamford, Connecticut, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.
The star first made waves on Broadway before transitioning to the
silver screen for a brief role as a kidnapped undertaker in Bonnie and Clyde
(1967).
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Mel Brooks then cast Mr Wilder as Leo Bloom, an anxious
accountant in the 1968 comedy, The Producers.
