Gene Wilder dead at 83

Gene Wilder died at the age of 83, his family said Monday. Wilder was best known for playing Willy Wonka in the titular 1971 film, as well as for having roles in the Mel Brooks comedies The Producers and Young Frankenstein.

Wilder was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1989, but had been in remission since 2000. Wilder's nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman told Variety the actor died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Stamford, Connecticut.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.