(CNN) -- Nora Ephron, the screenwriter and director
whose sharp, edgy romantic comedies featuring strong women took her to
the top ranks of a film industry mostly dominated by men, has died.
She was 71.
Ephron died Tuesday
surrounded by relatives at a New York hospital, where she was undergoing
treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, her family said in a statement.
She wore many hats: essayist, playwright, journalist, novelist, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a movie director.
An accomplished
screenwriter, her romantic comedies featured strong but appealing
characters who tackled relationship issues with a comic insight into
their situations.
They included box office
hits "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle," both of which
earned her screenwriting Oscar nominations.
Ephron mourned as 'brilliant' writer, humorist
Writer Nora Ephron dead at 71
She also received an Oscar nomination for "Silkwood," the story of anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood.
"An amazingly talented
girl who was able to accomplish everything she set her mind to with
great style and will be missed enormously," actor Martin Landau said in a
statement.
Ephron also wrote and directed "Julie & Julia," which earned Meryl Streep a best actress Oscar nomination in 2010.
"What a loss. A magnificent spirit and voice. She changed romantic comedy forever," actress Debra Messing said.
Ephron was born on May 19, 1941, into a family of writers.
Her parents, Henry and Phoebe Ephron, wrote screenplays for "Carousel," "Desk Set" and "There's No Business Like Show Business."
From the archives: Nora Ephron's best advice
While her parents' works
live on through movie rentals and classic film channels, perhaps the
elder Ephrons' true legacy is their daughters.
Nora Ephron made her directorial debut with the 1992 comedy, "This Is My Life," which she co-wrote with her sister, Delia.
Both sisters also put together a production fashioned around Ilene Beckerman's best-selling book "Love, Loss and What I Wore."
Ephron believes her parents' humor was a big part of her productions.
"They were funny and
they believed that everything was copy," Ephron said in 2009. "They
believed that anything in life could be turned into a story, which is
really the first rule of humor. I don't think you can get through almost
anything without humor."
She married screenwriter
Nicholas Pileggi in 1987, eight years after she divorced investigative
reporter Carl Bernstein. Her failed marriage to Bernstein was the basis
of her book and movie, "Heartburn."
From the archives: A story told through clothes and Ephrons
"I feel bad for the
people who don't at some point understand that there's something funny
in even the worst things that can happen to you," Ephron said.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Ephron's stories set in his city are classics.
"You've Got Mail" and
"Sleepless in Seattle," her romantic comedies starring Tom Hanks and Meg
Ryan, were among her movies that featured a lot of the city's iconic
buildings as a backdrop.
"The loss of Nora Ephron
is a devastating one for New York City's arts and cultural community,"
Bloomberg said in a statement. "From her earliest days at New York
City's newspapers to her biggest Hollywood successes, Nora always loved a
good New York story, and she could tell them like no one else."
In addition to making
movies, Ephron also tackled writing in many other forms. Her essays
include "I Remember Nothing" and "Crazy Salad." She also wrote the 2002
play, "Imaginary Friends."
Three years ago, Ephron provided a list of some of the best advice she's ever got.
It included "life is too
short" and "location, location, location," an appropriate sentiment for
a director whose romantic comedies focused on seizing the moment in
major metropolitan cities.
Do you have memories connected to Nora Ephron's works? Share with us in the comments below and on CNN iReport.