Oscar winning film director Anthony Minghella has died. He was 54.

The AP story I linked to says he had surgery for a growth on his neck and then had a fatal hemorrhage.

I loved his movies, including “the English Patient,” “Cold Mountain” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and going way back to the lovely “Truly Madly Deeply.” He seemed to favor quality over quantity.

It’s a real loss.

Last 5 posts by Jeanne DePaul

• And I thought nothing could top last week's "Survivor" - May 8th, 2008
• 'Idol' chatter for May 6 - May 6th, 2008
• Have you tried edamame? - May 5th, 2008
• 'Iron Man' had iron grip on my attention - May 5th, 2008
• Finally, an idol is played on "Survivor" - May 1st, 2008