Gene Wilder, Star Of "Willy Wonka," Dead At 83

Gene Wilder, star of Willy Wonka, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles has died, the Associated Press reported. He was 83.

Wilder is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Courtesy Everett Collection

Wilder, a Milwaukee native who was born in 1933 with the name Jerry Silberman, was nominated for an Oscar twice in his career — once for best supporting actor his role in "The Producers" and once for co-writing "Young Frankenstein" with Mel Brooks.

Wilder's nephew confirmed to Variety that the actor died at his Stamford, Connecticut home as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease. Wilder was previously diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

He co-founded the cancer outreach network Gilda’s Club — named after his wife Gilda Radnar who died of cancer in of cancer in 1989.

In a 2013 interview, Wilder said he still receives letters daily from children asking for an autograph.

"It's all because of of Willy Wonka," he told Robert Osborne in 2013. "Sometimes it's someone who is 12 years old, sometimes it's 21 years old, sometimes it's 34 year's old. But they want to have it signed.

Most recently, Wilder penned a memoir titled Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art.

His management company, David Shapira and Associates, could not be immediately reached.

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