'Pink Panther' director Blake Edwards dies at 88

He was 88. Edwards, one of the most prolific and enduring helmers of his time, was not keeping well for sometime.

Actress Julie Andrews, his wife of 41 years, and other family members were at his bedside when he died at St John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Wednesday, the Variety reported. "He was the most unique man I have ever known -- and he was my mate. He will be missed beyond words and will forever be in my heart," Andrews said in a statement.

Edwards is best known for his work in 'The Pink Panther' series in which Peter Sellers played the role of the bungling police detective Jacques Clouseau and 1961's classic 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' in which he worked with Audrey Hepburn.

The director developed a genre of slapstick comedy which had traces of silent era and the painfulness in life. "I would not be able to get through life had I not been able to view its painfulness in a comedic way," he had said in an interview.

Apart from directing, Edwards also worked as writer-producer on several films. Though he never got an Oscar or a Golden Globe for his films, Edwards was given an Honourary Oscar in recognition of his cinematic contribution. Blake who was born in Oklahoma  married British actress and Academy Award winner Julie Andrews and has two biological children Jennifer and Geoffrey from his first wife Patricia and  two adopted Vietnamese orphans, Amy Leigh and Joanna Lynn.