Edward Yang, the Cannes-winning Taiwanese engineer-turned- director known for his realistic portrayals of modern Taiwan, has died from complications from colon cancer, a film industry consultant said Sunday. Yang was 59.He passed away at his home in Beverly Hills Friday, Norman Wang said.
Wang said Yang's family asked him to release the information.
Yang had been battling colon cancer for seven years, Wang said.
The director is survived by his wife, concert pianist Kaili Peng, a young son and a younger sister.
Yang studied engineering in Taiwan and obtained a master's degree at the University of Florida. He worked as a computer engineer before becoming a filmmaker.
Yang favored stories set in Taipei. Among his works are A Brighter Summer Day, a 1991 film set in 1950s Taipei about Elvis- worshipping teenage boys who get involved with gangsters.
Yang won Cannes best director award in 2000 for Yi Yi, a film about a Taiwanese family that copes with the serious illness of their elderly mother. ASSOCIATED PRESS
