James Cameron remembered his producer, Jon Landau, after his death at 63.
In a statement shared with Deadline on Saturday, July 6, the filmmaker, who, together with the late producer, chronicled the story of the doomed ocean liner in Titanic, paid tribute to his pal.
"The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau," he began in the statement. "His zany humour, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the centre of our Avatar universe for almost two decades."
After the critically acclaimed 1997 film, they collaborated on various projects, including Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022.
"His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set — indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique," Cameron described Landau.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker continued to rave about the producer, who died on Friday, July 5.
"He inspired us all to be and to bring our best every day. I have lost a dear friend and my closest collaborator of 31 years," he concluded the statement on an emotional note, "A part of myself has been torn away."
In addition to Titanic, Cameron and Landau made box office history with Avatar (2009) and its 2022 successor.