Naked Gun and Airplane! director Jim Abrahams has died aged 80 (Picture: GETTY / REX)
Legendary director and writer Jim Abrahams has died aged 80.
The co-creator of Naked Gun and Airplane! died from natural causes at his Santa Monica home on Tuesday.
Abrahams was married to wife Nancy (née Cocuzzo) and is survived by three children. His son Joseph confirmed his death to The Hollywood Reporter.
His collaborations with brothers Jerry and David Zucker led to Abrahams’ most famous works.
The trio, known as ZAZ, earned a Bafta award for Best Screenplay on spoof film Airplane! (1980), starring Leslie Neilson.
It grossed an incredible $83.5million (£66.5million)after being made from a budget of $3.5million (£2.7million). This made it the third biggest grossing comedy at the time.
Their working relationship hit the mainstream in 1977, when they worked on Kentucky Fried Movie. But the three men had known each other a lot longer, having grown up together. They also grouped together for Top Secret! in 1984, and two years later, Ruthless People, which featured Danny DeVito and Bette Midler.
On his own Abrahams worked on Big Business, Hot Shots! and sequel, Hot Shots! Part Deux.
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Source:: Metro