Sad news has come in to report as Jean-Marc Vallée has died. Per Deadline, the Dallas Buyers Club director reportedly passed away suddenly at his cabin outside Quebec City, shocking his family and close advisors. A cause of death hasn’t been disclosed at this time beyond that it was sudden with no apparent warning signs. Vallée was 58 years old.
“Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently," said producing partner Nathan Ross.. “He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy. Everyone who worked with him couldn’t help but see the talent and vision he possessed. He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me. The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.”
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Starting his career as a filmmaker doing short films, Vallée’s feature debut was with the 1995 film Black List. He’d later do the feature C.R.A.Z.Y., garnering four Genie Awards including Best Director for Vallée. The director would follow this up by directing titles like The Young Victoria and Cafe de Flore.
Vallée’s best-known work would be the hit film Dallas Buyers Club. Based on the real-life story of Ron Woodruff, it follows a man diagnosed with AIDS and given a month to live who uses that time to smuggle alternative medicines for himself and others affected by the disease. Featuring an all-star cast including Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, and Jennifer Garner, the film is widely acclaimed. It was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards with McConaughey and Leto picking up wins for their acting. Vallée also received an additional Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing for editing the movie using an alias.
Vallée later helmed the Oscar-nominated movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern before switching gears and developing projects for the small screen. For his work on the HBO series Big Little Lies, Vallée won the DGA Award and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing. The show, also executive produced by Vallée, won eight Emmy Awards during its run. Vallée also directed and executive produced HBO’s Sharp Objects, another acclaimed hit that pulled in eight Emmy nominations.
Through his acclaimed work, Vallee had many fans across the world, and people are now mourning the loss of the talented filmmaker. One fan writes on Twitter, “I hate to say it I hate to get posthumously weepy and wax poetic about someone just because they’ve died as if that makes them any more worthy of praise but Jean-Marc Vallée is one of the few filmmakers who I can say has truly impacted me with their work and I cannot believe this.”
Another tweet reads: “Jean-Marc Vallée was a unique talent. His films had a furious feel to them. I wish WILD (his best work imo) got more love. He will be greatly missed.”
Vallée’s survivors include his sons, Alex and Émile, and siblings Marie-Josée Vallée, Stéphane Tousignant, and Gérald Vallée. We would like to extend our condolences to Vallée’s family and friends at this painful time. Rest in peace, Jean-Marc Vallée.
