TMZ is reporting that legendary writer and director John Hughes has died. The report is that Hughes was out for a morning walk in New York while visiting family when he suffered a fatal heart attack. The news has since been confirmed by multiple other top news sources.

John Hughes was not only a staple in popular ’80s cinema, the man was an ’80s cultural icon. His brain was responsible for some of the best comedies and teen angst movies ever created.

While most of his credits came as a writer and a producer, he’s best known for his work behind the camera. His directing resume only contains eight films, but those eight films have made more of an impact in cinematic history than most directors could pull off in 100 movies. Below are the eight films he directed.

On top of that, he wrote or co-wrote so many more classic nostalgia movies. This list includes National Lampoon’s Vacation & European Vacation, Pretty in Pink, The Great Outdoors, Home Alone, Dutch, and others. Since the late ’80s/early ’90s, Hughes moved on to more family fare like 101 Dalmations, Flubber, and Just Visiting. His most-recent writing credit was on the Judd Apatow-produced Drillbit Taylor under the name Edmond Dantes.

This is a great loss for fans of movies, especially those of us who grew up in the ’80s. Those films will live on forever, and so will the name John Hughes.

John Hughes 1950 — 2009