Director Michael Cimino dead

Washington: Michael Cimino, who directed the Oscar-winning Vietnam War film The Deer Hunter but then saw his career fade with a big-money box office flop, died Saturday at the age of 77. Besides his grim, moving tale of the Vietnam War, Cimino will be remembered for the budget-busting failure Heaven's Gate released not long thereafter in the 1980s.

Cimino’s death, first reported by Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux and the New York Times, was confirmed by Lt. B. Kim of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. Kim said that Cimino was found dead in his Beverly Hills home and that the cause of death is pending.