Jerry Weintraub, one of the biggest names in the movie industry, has died suddenly at the age of 77. The iconic producer and ex-head of United Artists Studios passed away on Monday (July 6th) of heart failure following a short hospital stay.

TMZ reported on Tuesday that the movie mogul began feeling unwell over the Fourth of July weekend and suffered a heart attack a few days after initially being diagnosed with a bowel condition.

Weintraub had worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest names and had a crucial role in developing movies such as Nashville, All Night Long, the original, sequels and re-make of The Karate Kid, and the 2001 reboot of Ocean’s Eleven.

Jerry WeintraubJerry Weintraub pictured in June 2015 with friend Susan Ekins at the launch of HBO's 'The Brink'

His most recent projects had been as executive producer on the Liberace biopic Behind The Candelabra, which won three Emmys and two Golden Globes, and HBO’s war-and-politics satire series ‘The Brink’, which launched only last month.

More: Jerry Weintraub honoured at Zurich Film Festival [archive]

Initially, Weintraub started out his career in showbiz with the intention of being a music promoter, working to stage shows by pop and rock titans such as Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin in the 1960s and 1970s.

George Clooney, star of the Oceans’ movies that Weintraub produced, was one of many to pay tribute to Weintraub on Monday. He and his wife Amal released the following statement: “In the coming days there will be tributes, about our friend Jerry Weintraub. We'll laugh at his great stories, and applaud his accomplishments. And in the years to come the stories and accomplishments will get better with age, just as Jerry would have wanted it. But not today. Today our friend died.”

Larry King, Karate Kid child star actor Ralph Macchio, former President George H.W. Bush and Nancy Sinatra were among the others to mourn his passing by taking to social media.

More: Jane Morgan, wife of Jerry Weintraub given star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame