Prolific TV director Peter Werner passed away at age 76 due to heart complications, his brother Tom Werner confirmed. The famed Oscar-winning icon is known for his works on Moonlighting, A Different World, Justified, and Law & Order: SVU. His television career spanned five decades.

Werner died on Tuesday in Wilmington, North Carolina.

In an email sent to THR, his brother relayed that “he had a torn aorta that the doctors weren’t able to repair.” His sudden passing is greatly mourned in the industry.

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Renowned Director Peter Werner’s Passing Serves A Great Loss In The TV Industry

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Peter Werner was born on January 17, 1947. He received his formal training after graduating with a Master’s degree in education and documentary filmmaking. He started his career working as a VISTA volunteer in Detroit, and while teaching in Vermont, he met the widow of Robert Flaherty, who is known as the father of documentary films.

Frances Flaherty became Werner’s mentor in the industry. He made a documentary about her which his brother, Tom, produced for PBS.

His student movie project, In the Region of Ice, was screened at the New York Film Festival, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short. This catapulted Werner’s career into fame after he helmed an episode of ABC’s Family (1977).

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