Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, has died at 89 — his publicist says he “died in his sleep” at his Sundance home — but no official cause has been released, was it a quiet illness, an accident, or is there more lurking behind the headlines?
Robert Redford passed away Tuesday at his home in the Sundance area of Utah at the age of 89. His publicist said he died “in his sleep, surrounded by those he loved.” Officials and family have not released a cause of death.
Redford rose to stardom in the 1960s and became one of the biggest movie stars of the 1970s with classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and All the President’s Men. He later won an Academy Award for directing Ordinary People and transformed the indie-film landscape by founding the Sundance Institute and its festival.
Responses poured in quickly from across Hollywood. Friends and collaborators, including longtime co-stars and fellow artists, publicly mourned the loss and praised Redford’s commitment to independent film and environmental causes.
Beyond leading roles and directing honors, Redford’s biggest and most enduring legacy may be Sundance — the festival and institute that launched countless filmmakers and reshaped the industry’s view of indie cinema. He was also known for environmental advocacy and public service throughout his life
Whispers in this made-up tale say the quiet night at the Sundance ranch hid a last-act mystery: a late, hushed visitor who slipped through the gate under an umbrella of stars; an unlisted phone call that vanished from the log; a brief, shadowy meeting in the old boathouse where someone joked about “closing the script”; then an unexpected hush, security cameras that conveniently “glitch,” and a single courier leaving with an unmarked envelope at dawn — the sort of Hollywood ending that would make for a noir film, not real life.
