Jerry Weintraub dies at 77

Jerry Weintraub, Hollywood producer and showman, died of a heart attack at his home in Santa Barbara, California, his publicist said. Weintraub was 77 years old.

Actor George Clooney was one of the first to mourn the Hollywood legend. "In the coming days there will be tributes…We'll laugh at his great stories, and applaud his accomplishments," Clooney said in a statement.

"And in the years to come, the stories and accomplishments will get better with age, just as Jerry would have wanted it. But not today, today our friend died," he added.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted his regrets at the sad news:

Former US President George Bush also expressed his condolences. "Jerry was an American original, who earned his success by the sheer force of his instinct, drive and larger-than-life personality. He had a passion for life," Bush said.

Weintraub began his career as a talent manager for singers like Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and John Denver and promoted concerts featuring Led Zeppelin and Elvis Presley. He later moved into film production, creating movies such as The Karate Kid (1984) and the relatively recent Ocean's Eleven trilogy starring George Clooney.

His latest venture was a 2014 Emmy award-winning climate change documentary called Years of Living Dangerously.

Weintraub was the first producer to have his hand and footprints on the hall-of-fame in the sidewalk of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

mg/jil (AFP, dpa)