Curtis Hanson, the “L.A. Confidential” filmmaker who died Tuesday at age 71, suffered from a rare illness that “ultimately precipitated his death of natural causes,” Hanson’s partner, producer Rebecca Yeldham, said Wednesday.
In a statement, Yeldham said that Hanson had been battling “a rare terminal condition known as Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD)” for some time.
“It is a distinctly different diagnosis than Alzheimer’s, with its own set of symptoms and challenges,” Yeldham added.
The filmmaker was not aware of the condition, Yeldham said, because one of its conditions is anosognosia, a lack of awareness about the condition itself.
“We will be forever thankful that Curtis never suffered in the knowledge of his illness or prognosis,” Yeldham, whose credits include 2012’s Jack Kerouac adaptation “On the Road,” added. “He died peacefully in his sleep.”
According to the Association for Frontotemporal Deterioration, the condition “results in progressive damage to the temporal and/or frontal lobes of the brain” and “causes a group of brain disorders.” FTD is “marked by an inevitable deterioration in functioning,” according to the organization.
Yeldham went on to urge Hanson’s fans to educate themselves about the condition and perhaps donate in his honor.
“On behalf of his surviving family — his mother, Beverly June, his brother John and sister-in-law Charlotte, and our son, Rio, I thank you for your compassion. Please consider learning more about FTD and making a donation in Curtis’ name at: theaftd.org,” Yeldham said.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told TheWrap that officers responded to Hanson’s home in the Hollywood Hills slightly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, and determined that he died of natural causes.