James Cameron is devastated: Jon Landau, producer of Titanic and Avatar, has died

“A part of me was ripped out.”

Sad news for the world of cinema. Jon Landau has lost his battle with cancer. The famous producer of Titanic and the saga Avatar died on July 5, at the age of 63.

“A part of me was ripped out“, reacted James Cameron in a statement sent to Variety.The Avatar family mourns the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau. His zany humor, magnetism, great generosity of spirit, and willpower were the backbone of our Avatar universe for over 20 years.“.

“His legacy is not just the films he produced, but his exemplary character: he was indomitable, thoughtful, open, tireless, insightful and utterly unique. He made great films, not by wielding his power, but by transmitting the joy of filmmaking. He inspired us all to be better, every day. I have lost a dear friend, and my closest collaborator of 31 years.”

Jon Landau began working with James Cameron on True Lies (1994), before winning the Oscar for Best Picture as producer of Titanic in 1997. He had also accompanied two projects abandoned by Cameron: Solarisultimately directed by Steven Soderbergh, and Alita: Battle Angeldirected by Robert Rodriguez. The producer was still heavily involved in the production of the Avatar sequels, including the next film scheduled for release in December 2025.

Before meeting James Cameron, Jon Landau took his first steps in Hollywood on Campus Man (1987), Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and Dick Tracy (1990). He later became executive vice president of feature film production at Twentieth Century Fox. He is survived by his wife Julie Landau, to whom he was married for nearly 40 years, and their two sons, Jamie and Jodie Landau.