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Entertainer Mike Nichols, the legendary director and husband of Diane Sawyer, died suddenly Wednesday. He was 83 and his death was confirmed by ABC News on Thursday morning.

Nichols’ career spanned jobs and genres within the entertainment industry, but it was his time as a director that sealed his legacy. He won the Oscar for Best Director for 1967’s The Graduate and found fame later on with Working Girl and The Birdcage. Two years ago, he won his eighth Tony for his revival of Death of a Salesman.

“He was a true visionary, winning the highest honors in the arts for his work as a director, writer, producer and comic and was one of a tiny few to win the EGOT—an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony in his lifetime,” ABC News President James Goldston said in the statement. “No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike.”

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Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com.

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