Lynda Obst dead at 74: Sleepless in Seattle and Flashdance producer succumbs to COPD

Hollywood producer Lynda Obst, who worked on a number of hit films such as Sleepless in Seattle, has died at the age of 74 following a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Obst – who was an executive producer on the hit 1993 rom-com starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan – passed away Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles, her son Oly Obst told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Oly called his late mother ‘an amazing mother, sister and best friend’ as well as ‘a trailblazer and a fierce advocate for women.’

Oly said he and his spouse Julie ‘will miss her’ and ‘are incredibly grateful that she was my mom and that my daughters got to have her as a grandmother.’

Oly, a producer who also worked as his mother’s manager, told THR that his late mother was ‘surrounded by loved ones’ when she passed away.

Obst was an executive producer on Sleepless in Seattle, the hit 1993 rom-com starring Tom Hanksz, Meg Ryan and Ross Malinger

Among Obst’s other credits included 1983’s Flashdance, 1989’s Adventures in Babysitting, 1991’s The Fisher King, 1997’s Contact, 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and 2014’s Interstellar.

Obst received an Emmy nomination in 1999 for Outstanding Miniseries for her work on Julia Stiles in The ’60s. In recent years, Obst had produced TV shows including Hot in Cleveland, The Hot Zone, Good Girls Revolt and Helix.

Obst’s brother Rick Rosen, the TV head at the agency WME, said his late sister ‘was always happiest when she was around the family’ in a statement to the outlet.

‘Our family is immensely proud of the career that she had and the role model she was for women in the industry,’ Rosen said, ‘but beyond that, we will always remember her incredible love of our family.’

Obst opened up about her health battle with the publication in February, joking that COPD translated to ‘Spanish for, “I f***ed up my lungs”‘ as it has no cure, progressively worsens and can result in death.

Obst said she smoked cigarettes and marijuana over five decades and that she hoped her downturn in health could provide others with a reason to cease with their habits, as they could lead down a similar path to her own.

She noted to the publication that she had to use a portable oxygen device to assist with breathing inn her later years.

‘I very much want people to know that you could be the one hit with the fickle finger of fate, and I want to be clear what the consequences of smoking are,’ Obst told the publication. ‘It’s not the way you want to spend your retirement or your last 10, 20 or 30 years.’

Obst passed away Tuesday at her home in LA surrounded by her loved ones, her son Oly Obst told THR. Pictured in 2019 in LA 

Obst was also a producer on 1989’s Adventures In Babysitting, featuring (L-R) Anthony Rapp, Elizabeth Shue and Keith Coogan

One of her early notable projects came with 1983’s Flashdance, starring Jennifer Beals

The outlet credited Obst for being ‘a fierce champion of women’ and skilled networker who developed ‘close, longtime relationships’ with people across Hollywood, including CAA exec Bryan Lourd.

Lourd previously told the outlet that Obst was ‘was very savvy and smart about how things worked and how movies got put together’ and possessed ‘crazy intuitive intelligence and taste.’

He added: ‘She loved the audience as much as she loved the filmmakers and understood that the ultimate win was when you could tick both boxes in making something great with great people and creating an experience for the audience that was not only satisfying and entertaining but moving.’

Obst, a native of Harrison, New York, had also authored a pair of books about show business – 1996’s Hello, He Lied & Other Tales From the Hollywood Trenches and 2013’s Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales From the New Abnormal in the Movie Business. 

Obst was remembered fondly for her contributions to the entertainment industry by a number of her peers as news spread of her passing.

Director Paul Feig said, ‘This is incredibly sad. I was lucky enough to get to know Linda several years ago and she was such a lovely smart person. This is a very sad loss for the industry. My heart goes out to her son Oly and her entire family. RIP Linda.’

Obst was remembered fondly for her contributions to the entertainment industry by a number of her peers as news spread of her passing 

Screenwriter Jon Shaivitz called Obst, his one-time boss, an ‘absolute legend’ in life.

‘Working for Lynda Obst was the 1st thing I did when I got to LA 15 years ago,’ Shaivitz said. ‘She was an amazing producer & told me exactly what I needed to hear to keep moving forward. I learned so much from her … heaven got another shining star today. Ty & RIP, Lynda.’

Agent Joe Veltre wrote, ‘RIP Lynda Obst. A brilliant producer and writer who shaped the film industry in so many ways. Her book Hello, He Lied & Other Tales from the Hollywood Trenches remains an essential read for anyone navigating Hollywood. She will be missed.’

According to THR, Obst’s family is arranging a private funeral service, and are planning an event in her honor for next year with the Producers Guild of America.