Curtis Hanson, the director and writer of the 1997 neo-noir crime film L.A. Confidential died on 20 September at the age of 71. Paramedics found his body at his home in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, after they responded to an emergency call.

Los Angeles police spokesman Tony Im confirmed that Hanson had died from natural causes, and TMZ reported that it was due to a heart attack. The retired director had previously been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

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Hanson's most memorable work – LA Confidential earned him a number of awards including an Oscar for best picture, which he shared with Brian Helgeland. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for best director.

In 1992 he made the psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, followed by The River Wild (1994), Wonder Boys (2000), 8 Mile (2002) and In Her Shoes (2005).

Curtis Hanson
Director Curtis Hanson earned an Oscar for best movie for LA Confidential TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images

Speaking about the director, Eminem, star of 8 Mile, released a statement saying: "Curtis Hanson believed in me and our crazy idea to make a rap battle movie set in Detroit. He basically made me into an actor for 8 Mile. I'm lucky I got to know him."

In 2011 he directed the HBO movie Too Big To Fail based on a book by Andrew Ross Sorkin about the financial crisis between 2007 and 2010. The last film he worked on before retiring was the Gerard Butler starring surfing movie Chasing Mavericks in 2012.

Following the news of his death, the Hollywood fraternity took to Twitter to express their loss.