Ephron, 71

AMERICAN JOURNALIST, screenwriter, and filmmaker Nora Ephron died of pneumonia brought on by acute myeloid leukemia, a blood disorder, last June 26.

Born in a family of writers, Ephron was known for her word skills and quick wit. She began her writing career in the school newspaper of Wellesley College, Massachusetts, and pursued journalism after college, landing her first job as a mail girl at Newsweek. Her contribution to a parody of The New York Post led her to a five-year stint in the paper.

Ephron was a prolific writer—she blogged for The Huffington Post, wrote for magazines such as Esquire and New York, and had best-selling collection of essays like “I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Reflections on Being a Woman” (2006) and “I Remember Nothing” (2010). She was the author/co-author of books like “Heartburn” (1983) and plays as “Love, Loss, What I Wore” (with sister Delia) and “Imaginary Friends” (2002).

Her former husband, Carl Bernstein of the Watergate scandal, led her to work in the film industry. Bernstein and Ephron rewrote the script of “All the President’s Men”, a movie based on the scandal. But their version was not used in the movie. An Oscar-nominated screenplay writer and movie director, she brought to screen romantic comedy hits “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), and “You’ve got mail” (1998).

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a statement on her passing:

“The loss of Nora Ephron is a devastating one for New York City’s arts and cultural community. From her earliest days at New York City’s newspapers to her biggest Hollywood successes, Nora always loved a good New York story, and she could tell them like no one else. The books, movies and plays that she set in the world’s greatest city are classics that will be enjoyed for generations, but New York City will miss Nora very much.”