Julianne Moore has paid tribute to Richard Glatzer, the director of her latest film Still Alice who passed away on Tuesday. Richard died at the age of 63 after suffering from ALS.
Sharing a simple, touching message on Twitter, Julianne wrote: "I love you Richard".
The Hollywood beauty had played the lead role in Richard's film and last month she picked up the Best Actress Oscar for her moving performance as a professor battling with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJulianne Moore wrote on Twitter: "I love you Richard"
Richard decided to take on the project of Still Alice in 2011, shortly before being diagnosed with motor neurone disease. The director worked on the Oscar-winning film with his husband Wash Westmoreland.
Wash shared a photo of the pair on Twitter, expressing his pain at losing his "soulmate". He wrote: "I am devastated. Richard was my soulmate, my collaborator, my life. A true artist and a brilliant man. @stillalice."
"Richard was a unique guy – opinionated, funny, caring, gregarious, generous, and so, so smart," said Wash in a longer statement. "A true artist and a brilliant man. I treasure every day of the short twenty years we had together. I cannot believe he has gone. But in my heart and the hearts of those who loved him he will always be alive."
Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer started working on Still Alice together in 2011
Wash also expressed his gratitude at Richard being able to see the release of Still Alice. "In this dark time, I take some consolation in the fact that he got to see Still Alice go out into the world," said Wash. "He put his heart and soul into that film, and the fact that it touched so many people was a constant joy to him."
During the 23 days of filming, Richard communicated with one finger using a text-to-speech app on his iPad. By the time of promoting the movie came around in late 2014, Richard was only able to communicate by typing with his big toe.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJulianne Moore won the Best Actress for Still Alice, while Richard Glatzer watched from hospital
The late director was too unwell to attend the Oscars ceremony in February but watched Julianne pick up her award from hospital, where he had been admitted two days prior. In her acceptance speech, Julianne honoured Richard, and explained that he fully achieved what he wanted to do.
"When Richard was diagnosed with ALS, Wash asked him what he wanted to do," she said. "Did he want to travel? Did he want to see the world? And he said that he wanted to make movies, and that's what he did."
