Nora Ephron, Feminist Icon and When Harry Met Sally Writer, Dead at 71

Legendary writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron died Tuesday in Manhattan, at the age of 71. The cause of death was pneumonia brought on by leukemia. 

Known best for her beloved films, Ephron wrote numerous screenplays including When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and the recent Meryl Streep film Julie & Julia. Her feminist mark on the romantic comedy cannot be understated. 

Rumors of her death first began circulating early Tuesday when New York based gossip columnist Liz Smith told The Hollywood Reporter that she had spoken with Ephron's family and they had already begun to prepare her funeral. 

Throughout her long career Ephron wrote brooks, newspaper articles, and countless essays. Films, however, were her claim to fame and Ephron was norminated for three Academy Awards for the films When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and Silkwood. Ephron has long been considered one of the most powerful and influential women in Hollywood.

Ephron is survived by her husband, screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi and her two sons, Jacob and Max Bernstein.