Judith and Wylie Sheldon were found dead in their running car on Monday while on their way to the Oregon Shakespeare festival. They were 84 and 86, respectively.
Judith Sheldon was the daughter of director William Wyler – who won three Oscars for helming “Ben-Hur,” “The Best Years of Our Lives,” and “Mrs. Miniver” – while Wylie Sheldon was a lawyer. The deaths came as a surprise when the other two couples they were attending the festival with arrived and waited at their dinner reservation location but the pair never showed.
According to The New York Times, the couple was found dead in their running vehicle on the side of Interstate 5. They were around 100 miles away from their destination and the area was under a severe heat warning. David Smith – a friend of the couple who was waiting to attend the festival with them – learned that the AC in the Sheldon’s car was on but only hot air was coming out. There was no water or other liquids found in the vehicle.
“They didn’t crash. They stopped. They both just died there,” Smith told the NYT. “The entire thing is so bizarre. We’re still in a state of shock.”
In a statement, the California Highway Patrol said they did not see any sign of foul play or mechanical failure in the 2022 Jeep Compass. The statement added that the couple’s death “appears to be medically related” and that an autopsy might determine if the extreme heat played a factor in their death.
Judith chaired the board for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival after falling in love with them after seeing the silent films her father made. She and her husband hosted many parties on behalf of the festival and even let guests take photos with her dad’s Oscars.
“We are reeling from this news,” Anita Monga, artistic director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, told The San Francisco Chronicle. “Judy and Wylie were very dear to us, supportive and a positive presence at all our events.”
The Sheldons are survived by their two sons.
