Famed Oscar Producer Gil Cates Found Dead at 77

Sad news from Hollywood: Gil Cates, the man who produced the Academy Awards telecast 14 times between 1990 and 2008 was found dead in a UCLA parking lot on Monday. He was 77. TMZ broke the news of Cates's death, which was then confirmed by Deadline and the Director's Guild of America, where Cates served two terms as DGA president between 1983 and 1987. He first produced the Academy Awards telecast in 1990, installing Billy Crystal as host following the disastrous 61st Oscars (Rob Lowe and Snow White). Cates was the producer for all but two of Crystal's eight hosting stints between 1990 and 2003, and was also responsible for two telecasts with Steve Martin. Said Martin on Twitter about Cates's untimely passing: "So sorry to hear Gil Cates has died. He helmed two Oscar shows I hosted. He was delightful, wise, canny and unperturbed. A great fellow." Cates never won an Emmy for his Oscar work, despite being nominated in 13 of the 14 years he produced. His last Oscar telecast was the 2008 edition with host Jon Stewart. He's credited with saving the Oscars, after injecting life into the show by hiring comics like Crystal, Martin, Stewart, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and David Letterman. "Gil was our colleague, our friend and a former governor of the Academy," said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak in a statement. "He was a consummate professional who gave the Academy and the world some of the most memorable moments in Oscar history. His passing is a tremendous loss to the entertainment industry, and our thoughts go out to his family." No word yet on cause of death, but TMZ reported that Cates had heart surgery earlier this month. Moviefone will update you as events warrant. [via LAT/24 Frames] Oscars 2011 Backstage Photos See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED