Bernardo Bertolucci, the award-winning Italian director of "Last Tango in Paris", has died aged 77 following a battle with cancer, Italian officials confirmed Monday.
Bertolucci was perhaps best known for his erotic drama "Last Tango in Paris", starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider. His film "The Last Emperor" also won all nine Academy Award categories it was nominated for in 1988.
The president of the Italian General Entertainment Association, Carlo Fontana, described Bertolucci as "one of the greatest authors, perhaps the last one, of the Italian Cinema."
Fontana said Bertolucci's films "have become part of the collective imagination of our culture, going beyond our national borders to become milestones of the world cinema."
Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi also tweeted condolences for Bertolucci -- who lived and died in the Italian capital.
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