ROCKY, KARATE KID DIRECTOR AVILDSEN DIES

Los Angeles, June 17: John G Avildsen, who won an Oscar for directing the 1976 Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone, has passed away at 81.

Avildsen died of pancreatic cancer at CedarsSinai Medical Center in LA, his son, Anthony, told the Los Angeles Times.

His other most memorable works include first three original Karate Kid movies, in which he directed Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. Avildsen developed a reputation for making movies about losers, or underdogs, who somehow become winners.

Stallone, who worked with Avildsen in Rocky V, wrote in a statement: “I owe just about everything to John Avildsen. His directing, his passion, his toughness and his heart — a great heart — is what made Rocky the film it became.”

Avildsen had told the LA Times in 1971: “My hope as a filmmaker is to make people feel a little differently about something when they leave the theater.” — Agencies