'English Patient' director dies

Oscar-winning film director Anthony Minghella has died at the age of 54, his publicist said today.

The British director is best known for 'The English Patient', 'Truly Madly Deeply' and 'Cold Mountain'.

A woman at the family home on the Isle of Wight in the UK said they were too upset to comment when contacted this afternoon.

One of five children, Minghella grew up above the family’s ice cream shop on the Isle of Wight, where the family still live and run a successful chain of shops.

A worker at one of the shops said the news of Minghella’s death was “really raw” for all those who knew him and his family.