‘Willy Wonka’ star Gene Wilder dies aged 83

Variety magazine quoted Wilder's nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman as saying the actor died of complications from Alzheimer’s at his home in Connecticut.

US actor and director Gene Wilder is pictured here on September 7, 1984. Mychele Daniau//AFP

LOS ANGELES // Gene Wilder, who delighted audiences with his comic turns in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Mel Brooks classics including Blazing Saddles and The Producers, died on Monday aged 83, Variety magazine reported.

The weekly film industry journal quoted his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman as saying the actor died of complications from Alzheimer’s at his home in Connecticut.

His agent said he could not immediately confirm the report.

Wilder, whose third wife Gilda Radner died of ovarian cancer, was treated for lymphoma in 2000.

He was acclaimed for his turn as The Waco Kid in Brooks's third film, the spoof Western and box office smash Blazing Saddles.

The 1974 movie shot down the myths perpetuated about the American West, pouring light on closeted racism, but it is also stacked full of gags and is often listed among critics’ top 10 comedy films.

Wilder's last major role was in a TV film version of Alice in Wonderland in the late 1990s, which also starred Ben Kingsley and Martin Short.

“Gene Wilder – One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship,” Brooks said on Twitter.

* Agence France-Presse