It is a sad day for fans of James Cameron’s work as one of his long-time collaborators, producer Jon Landau, has passed away at the age of 63. Landau had apparently been battling cancer for some time and finally succumbed to the illness.
James Cameron himself took to the official Avatar Twitter/X account and made the following statement:
“The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau. His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades. His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set — indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique.“
“He produced great films, not by wielding power but by spreading warmth and the joy of making cinema. He inspired us all to be and to bring our best, every day. I have lost a dear friend, and my closest collaborator of 31 years. A part of myself has been torn away.“
Jon was the son of husband and wife producing duo Ely & Edie Landau. He entered the industry by becoming a production manager on films such as Key Exchange, F/X, and Manhunter. He eventually entered the role of a producer and became involved with Disney, producing films such as the first Honey I Shrunk The Kids and Dick Tracy.
Jon eventually became Vice President of feature film production at 20th Century Fox. There, he met James Cameron (who was known then for sci-fi and action films) and where he would help produce one of the biggest movies of all time, Titanic. 
Landau would collaborate with Cameron multiple times going forward on films such as 2002’s Solaris, 2019’s Alita: Battle Angel, and most impressively, the Avatar series, which began in 2009 and still has at least two more films in production. Landau will still receive credits for his contributions to Avatar 3 and 4 posthumously.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this hard time. His legacy will be remembered throughout Hollywood history.
Sources: comicbook.com, Twitter
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