Michael Cimino, Oscar-winning director of 'The Deer Hunter,' reportedly dies at 77

Michael Cimino, the Oscar-winning director behind the critically acclaimed The Deer Hunter, has reportedly died. He was 77. 

The director's death was announced by Thierry Fremaux, the director of the Cannes Film Festival, on Saturday. Fremaux tweeted the news, sharing that Cimino died peacefully, surrounded by two loved ones. 

"We love him too," Fremaux writes. 

Cimino's 1978 masterpiece The Deer Hunter starred Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale and more. The Vietnam War drama, which was his second film, won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. 

His first film was the 1974 crime story Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, which starred Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges as the titular characters. The role earned Bridges his second Oscar nomination. 

Cimino directed five features after The Deer Hunter, most notably the 1980 flop Heaven's Gate, a stacked Western with an overblown budget that was notoriously panned by critics.

In a rare interview in 2015, Cimino said he's watched the film, which was restored to his original cut and digitally remastered in 2013 to more favorable reviews, multiple times. 

"I'm blown away," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "I've watched it several times now, happily watched it, and I’d watch it again, especially on a big screen, especially the new version."