'Willy Wonka' Director Mel Stuart Dies

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Mel Stuart -- who directed the iconic family musical Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory -- has died at 83.

Stuart's daughter Madeline Stuart told the Associated Press that her father died Thursday night of cancer at his home in Los Angeles.

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In 1971 Stuart directed Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory -- the story about a poor boy's visit to a fantastical candy factory starring Gene Wilder and Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson.

Stuart also made dozens of documentaries including three editions of The Making of the President, as well as the PBS series American Masters, which featured artist Man Ray and director Billy Wilder. His groundbreaking film Wattstax focused on the 1972 music festival and Los Angeles' largely black Watts neighborhood following the 1965 riots.