Producer Jerry Weintraub (right) died of cardiac arrest. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

JNS.org – Renowned Jewish movie producer Jerry Weintraub died Monday at age 77 of cardiac arrest. Weintraub is known for working on movies such as The Karate Kid, Behind the Candelabra, and Oceans’s Eleven, among others.

Before he was a movie producer, Weintraub managed famous singers such as as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand. Weintraub died in a hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif., and is survived by his wife Jane Morgan (from whom he was separated but not divorced) and his four children, the Associated Press reported.

Several Hollywood and political personalities paid tribute to Weintraub on social media, such as actor George Clooney, actor and comedian Paul Reiser, and former president George H.W. Bush. In a statement, Bush said Weintraub “had a passion for life, and throughout the ups and downs of his prolific career it was clear just how much he loved show business. I used to tease him about being a ‘black belt name-dropper,’ but he really did seem to know everyone in showbiz—and we join his many friends in remembering and celebrating his singular life.”