Richard Glatzer Dies: 63-Year-Old Helped Write, Direct 'Still Alice'

Richard Glatzer, who co-wrote and co-directed the movie "Still Alice" that earned Julianne Moore an Academy Award for Best Actress, died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. The 63-year-old had been battling ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Adapted from Lisa Genova's novel about a woman fighting early-onset Alzheimer's disease, "Still Alice" won Moore won her first Oscar and garnered numerous other nominations, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Because of Glatzer's worsening health, Moore took time off from filming "Hunger Games: Mockingjay" and shot "Still Alice" for Glatzer in just three weeks in 2014.

"My medical condition made reading the book quite difficult for me," Glatzer once said in an NPR interview, according to the Times. "It just cut too close to the bone. But once I'd finished it, I felt determined to make 'Still Alice' into a movie. It really resonated with me."

Glatzer co-directed "Still Alice" with husband Wash Westmoreland. It was the fourth movie they worked together on, the Times noted.

The couple was scheduled to be recognized at the ALS Golden West Chapter on April 20.

"We are so sorry for Wash's, and the family's, loss," Fred Fisher, president and chief executive of ALS Golden West Chapter, told People. "The gala will be a celebration of their amazing perseverance in the face of ALS, and of Still Alice, a lasting legacy and tribute to them both."

Westmoreland posted a message about Glatzer on Twitter Wednesday.

I am devastated. Richard was my soulmate, my collaborator, my life. A true artist and a brilliant man. @stillalice pic.twitter.com/hSRriYMjhe

— Wash Westmoreland (@Washmoreland) March 12, 2015

Glatzer, who earned a doctorate in English from the University of Virginia, moved west in the early 1980s and worked on the television show "Divorce Court," along with such reality shows as "Road Rules," "The Osbournes," and "America's Next Top Model."

Westmoreland said Wednesday he was happy that Glatzer got to see "Still Alice" reach the theaters and people embrace its message.

"In this dark time, I take some consolation in the fact that he got to see 'Still Alice' go out into the world," he said in a statement. "He put his heart and soul into that film, and the fact that it touched so many people was a constant joy to him."

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