Robert Altman, the legendary film director whose films included 'MASH', 'Nashville', 'The Player' and 'Gosford Park', has died in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 81.
Joshua Astrachan, a producer at Altman's Sandcastle 5 Productions, told the Associated Press that Altman died on Monday night.
The cause of his death has not yet been disclosed, but a press statement will be issued later.
In a career spanning over 50 years, Altman was nominated for seven Oscars and received an honorary Academy Award earlier this year.
On accepting the honorary Oscar, Altman revealed that he had been the recipient of a heart transplant some years earlier but had not disclosed details of the operation for fear that it would prevent him getting work.
Altman's final film, 'A Prairie Home Companion', was released earlier this year.
