Oscar winning director, writer and producer Anthony Minghella has died at the age of 54. British born Minghella had an operation to remove a growth in his neck last week, and died in the hospital after a brain hemorrhage this morning.

Minghella was known for adapting novels into incredible films and his credits include The English Patient, Cold Mountain, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. The English Patient won an Academy Award for best picture in 1997, and Minghella took home best director for his work on that film.

Minghella’s friends and associates have spoken about what an unassuming, talented, and kind man he was and what a great loss his early death is. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former PM Tony Blair expressed shock and sadness at the news. Blair called him “a wonderful human being, creative and brilliant.”

Actor Jude Law, who worked with Minghella on Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Breaking and Entering said he had “come to value him more as a friend than as a colleague,” and that he “was a sweet, warm, bright and funny man” and “made work feel like fun.”

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Choa, his son, Max, who works as an actor, and his daughter, Hannah.

Minghella’s last project was an adaptation of the series “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency,” which was filmed in Botswana, where the books were set. It will premiere on March 23 on BBC 1.

That’s incredibly sad and you never expect someone to die after what sounds like a routine surgery. Our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.

[Most details from The Associated Press]

Anthony Minghella is shown in the header image at the Producers Guild Awards on 1/17/04. He is shown below with his wife at the London Film Festival premiere of Eastern Promises on 10/17/07, thanks to PRPhotos.