Legendary Screenwriter Robert Towne Dies at 89
Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning genius behind "Chinatown," has decided to make his grand exit. He was 89 and certainly wrote his last plot twist.
Towne passed away at his Los Angeles home on Monday, surrounded by family who probably begged him for spoilers until the very end, according to his publicist, Carri McClure.
In addition to "Chinatown" (1974), where Jack Nicholson played a private eye with more issues than tissues, Towne also penned "Shampoo" (1975) with Warren Beatty and "The Last Detail" (1973). Both earned him Academy Award nominations, and probably a lot of 'good luck' hairs in Hollywood.
Sam Wasson, who wrote "The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood," quoted Towne saying, "Chinatown is a state of mind." Sounds like something you'd hear from a fortune cookie, but it encapsulates the blend of paradise and pitch darkness that Towne could whip up like nobody's business.
Lee Grant, star of "Shampoo," said she was "shaken" by the news of his death, much like a martini on a turbulent flight.