Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio found dead at 52, his actress partner Amalia Kassai writes heartbreaking tribute

Sebastián Lelio, best known for directing the 2017 Chilean drama “A Fantastic Woman” – which won an Oscar – has died. He was 52 years old.

The filmmaker was found dead around noon on Friday in his house in the Las Condes neighborhood of Santiago, Chile, by his partner, actress Amalia Kassai, according to the Chilean news platform Emol.

Kassai announced the news “with great sadness” in a statement shared on his Instagram account on Friday, specifying that he had died “from health complications”.

“We are going through a time of deep sorrow and his memory will remain with us forever. He was a wonderful person who made a significant contribution to Chilean culture at important moments in its history,” the statement continued.

“As a family, we ask for privacy and consideration during these difficult times,” concludes the statement, signed by the Lelio-Kassai family and the Campos-Watt family.

The exact cause of Lelio’s death was not immediately known.

Kassai later wrote a heartbreaking tribute to his late partner on Instagram, sharing several photos and videos of the couple together over the years.

“I love you in this life and in all lives to come,” she wrote, adding that Lelio was “for many, an important person.”

“He illuminated everything and everything around him… Only love remains,” she concluded.

At the time of his death, Lelio was filming an adaptation of the novel “Chilean Poet” by Alejandro Zambra and was also in pre-production on “Voyagers,” starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

He was also known for his work on “The Year of the Tiger”, “Gloria”, “Disobedience”, “The Wonder” and “The Wave”. Throughout her career, Lelio has worked alongside several renowned actresses, including Julianne Moore, Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Florence Pugh.

Notably, Lelio won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2018 for “A Fantastic Woman,” marking the second of two Oscars won by Chile, following the country’s 2016 win for Best Animated Short Film with “Bear Story.”