Edward Yang (楊德昌), the Cannes-winning Taiwanese engineer-turned-director known for his realistic portrayals of modern Taiwan, has died from complications from colon cancer, a film industry consultant said yesterday. He was 59.
Yang passed away at his home in Beverly Hills on Friday, film consultant Norman Wang said. Wang said Yang's family asked him to release the information to the press.
Yang had been battling colon cancer for seven years, Wang said.
PHOTO: CHEN CHUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
The director is survived by his wife, concert pianist Kaili Peng (彭鎧立), a young son and a younger sister, he said.
Yang favored stories were set in Taipei. Among his works are A Brighter Summer Day, a 1991 film set in 1950s Taipei about Elvis-worshipping teenage boys who get involved with gangsters.
Yang won Cannes best director award in 2000 for Yi Yi, a film about a Taiwanese family that copes with the serious illness of their elderly mother.
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