Kassai, 40, found him around midday and contacted local police. A family statement released through her social media attributed the death to health reasons and gave no specific cause. The statement called him a person who significantly supported Chilean culture and asked for privacy for the family. Chilean media reported that the country's Homicide Brigade is investigating. No other account mentions an investigation, and others say only that police or authorities were contacted.

Kassai wrote of a "time of great pain" and called him a beautiful person. In a separate tribute she wrote: "I love you in this life and in all the lives to come. He illuminated everything and everything around him ... Only love remains."

"A Fantastic Woman," starring the trans actress Daniela Vega, won the Oscar at the 2018 ceremony. Some accounts date the film itself to 2017. Most describe the win as Chile's first in the category, and as the first Chilean film to take the award. One account counts it as Chile's second Academy Award overall, after the 2016 animated short "Bear Story."

Lelio was born in 1974 in Mendoza, Argentina, and moved to Chile as a small child. His first film, "The Sacred Family," came out in 2005. His international breakthrough was "Gloria" in 2013, whose lead, Paulina García, won an acting prize at the Berlin Film Festival. His other titles include "Gloria Bell," "Disobedience" and "The Wonder."

At his death he was working on "Chilean Poet" ("Poeta Chileno"), an adaptation of a 2020 novel by Alejandro Zambra. One account calls it his tenth feature. Accounts differ on how far along it was: one says filming began in September, another that he was shooting the day before he died, and another that he had recently started.

He was also attached to "Voyagers," starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones, which was in development or pre-production depending on the account. One account describes it as a biographical drama about Carl Sagan.

Sony Pictures Classics issued a statement praising his "singular vision" and "remarkable body of work," saying he "touched hearts and left a lasting mark on cinema." Tributes from across the film industry followed.