Steven Spielberg has issued a statement following the death of Richard Zanuck, who produced The Sugarland Express and Jaws.

“In 1974, Dick Zanuck and I sat in a boat off Martha’s Vineyard and watched the mechanical shark sink to the bottom of the sea. Dick turned to me and smiled. ‘Gee, I sure hope that’s not a sign.’ That moment forged a bond between us that lasted nearly 40 years. He taught me everything I know about producing. He was one of the most honorable and loyal men of our profession and he fought tooth and nail for his directors. Dick Zanuck was a cornerstone of our industry, both in name and in deed.”

Zanuck died of a heart attack on Friday 13th July. He was 77.

Sad news indeed: Richard Zanuck, producer of Spielberg’s Jaws and The Sugarland Express, has died.

This is a fantastic article about Zanuck from the LA Times that originally ran in 2010.

Spielberg says in the article:

“As a producer at the top of his game, what makes Richard Zanuck unique is that he continues to be a mentor. He understands the private process that directors often suffer and has always known how to ask the right questions to get us unstuck. On ‘Jaws,’ a very atypical production, we were literally all in the same boat for nearly half a year and Richard, along with his partner, the late David Brown, always made available four shoulders to cry on.”