Producer Jerry Weintraub dies at 77

Representatives for Weintraub said he died Monday of cardiac arrest in Santa Barbara, California.

TMZ reported that the Tinseltown legend – who produced movies such as the “Ocean’s 11” remake and the “Karate Kid” franchise – passed away at his home.

Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio wrote, “So sad at loss of Jerry Weintraub, you were 1 of a kind, my friend”. And in the years to come the stories and accomplishments will get better with age, just as Jerry would have wanted it. Today our friend died.

During his career Weintraub also managed or produced concerts for acts including Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Cuba Gooding, Sr and Frank Sinatra.

Weintraub raised and borrowed US$500 million to create the Weintraub Entertainment Group, an independent production company that went bankrupt after three years.

His current projects are The Brink for HBO and the film Tarzan starring Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie, due out in 2016.

On Monday night spokesman for ex- President George H.W. Bush, tweeted out a statement in regards to the death of his friend. His mother instilled a love of movies from an early age, and after a stint in the Air Force, he eventually found his way to Hollywood. I worked very hard for my money.

But Weintraub soon talked his way into bigger game. You can hear a clip from that interview below, but if you want to get a great picture on the man Weintraub was, listen to the entire interview, and hear him talk about his life and career. In the 1970s, he transitioned to the movies, working with Robert Altman on Nashville.

Born and brought up in Brooklyn, Weintraub ventured into show business in 1970 by becoming the personal manager of singer and actor John Denver.

Weintraub is survived by four his four children with Jane: Michael, Julie and Jamie, who all assisted their him on films.

“He helped me a lot with the film festival”, said Matzner, who is a major sponsor and organizer of the annual Palm Springs global Film Festival. The pair separated but never divorced.

Starting in the 1980s, Weintraub became known as one of the Republican Party’s most loyal supporters in Hollywood.