Director Jim Abrahams, who created the cult comedies "The Naked Gun" and "Top Secret!", Has Died: His Son Names the Cause

On Tuesday, November 26, the life of American director Jim Abrahams, who created a large number of cult comedy films, was cut short. The heart of the creator of the popular films The Naked Gun and Top Secret stopped at the age of 80.

The sad news was reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The death of the cultural figure was confirmed by his son Joseph, who noted that the screenwriter passed away at his home in Santa Monica (USA) due to natural causes.

Jim Abrahams was born on May 10, 1944. Since childhood, he has known the brothers David and Jerry Zucker, with whom he began a brilliant career as an adult. Their first successful project was the sketch film Kentucky Movie Hodgepodge, which became the basis for John Landis' film The Menagerie. Later, in 1984, the trio worked together to create the comedy film Top Secret, and two years later, Ruthless People.

Jim Abrahams, who was also called the "master of fun," had a unique sense of humor that became the basis for many successful projects. He was lucky enough to find "his" people in the industry, so world audiences saw a large number of comedies that may even seem too absurd at times. A good example of this is the movie Airplane!

While looking for an idea for their upcoming project, the trio of directors came across the black-and-white melodrama Zero Hour. The film told the story of a World War II pilot who was forced to overcome his fear of flying. The entire crew of the plane fell seriously ill, so the man had to gather his strength and land it. Abrahams and the Zucker brothers immediately saw the potential for a parody. The directors put their ideas into practice, and in the summer of 1980, the film Airplane was released, grossing $83.5 million, although the film's budget was only $3.5 million.

In 1982, the directors created the sitcom Police Department. At that time, the series received many positive reviews from film critics and was even nominated twice for an Emmy. However, viewers were able to watch only 6 episodes, after which the project was canceled. Subsequently, Abrahams and the Zucker brothers revived the idea of the series, which became the basis for the cult comedy Naked Gun.

In addition to a successful career, Jim Abrahams also had a good family. In 1976, he married Nancy Cocuzzo. The couple had three children: two sons, Joseph and Charlie, and a daughter, Jamie.

In 1993, the family had to face a terrible problem. The 11-month-old Charlie was diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy that caused daily seizures. When the situation became very bad, Jim Abrahams put Charlie on a high-fat ketogenic diet. The situation began to improve, and in a few months the boy did not need medication. In 1994, the director decided to establish the non-profit Charlie's Foundation for ketogenic therapy to help fight epilepsy, other neurological disorders, and certain types of cancer.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that the legendary French composer Charles Dumont, who wrote the immortal hit Non, je ne regrette rien for Edith Piaf, has died.

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