Laura Ziskin, producer of all four of the big-screen Spider-Man movies, including the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man, has died in Los Angeles. She was 61.
Ziskin, who also produced the Kevin Costner thriller No Way Out, executive produced Pretty Woman and As Good As It Gets, was the first woman to solo produce the Oscars telecast, in 2002.
She was also president of Fox 2000 pictures for five years from 1994, and oversaw a raft of movies, including David Fincher's Fight Club.
She had been battling breast cancer since it was first diagnosed in 2004, and had set up a cancer charity called Stand Up 2 Cancer, along with the likes of Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing and Ellen Ziffren. That charity launched a major all-star telethon in 2008, and conducted another one last year.
Ziskin is survived by her screenwriter husband, Alvin Sargent, who worked with her on the last three Spider-Man movies, including Marc Webb's upcoming reboot, and a daughter, Julia.
Her family has asked, at this difficult time, that donations be made to Stand Up 2 Cancer.