New Delhi: Once Were Warriors and Die Another Day director Lee Tamahori has passed away at the age of 75. The filmmaker’s family confirmed that he died at his home in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tamahori had been battling Parkinson’s disease for some time.

New Zealand’s public service broadcaster RNZ shared a statement from the Tamahori family, which read: “His legacy endures with his whānau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke, and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart.”

Who Was Lee Tamahori?

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1950, Lee Tamahori was a celebrated filmmaker of Māori and British descent. He made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Once Were Warriors (1994), starring Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, and Cliff Curti

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