Willy Wonka´ star Gene Wilder dead at 83

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 Monday at age 83.

His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said in a statement the actor died of complications from Alzheimer´s disease at his home in Connecticut.

"It is with indescribable sadness and blues, but with spiritual gratitude for the life lived that I announce the passing of husband, parent, and universal artist Gene Wilder, at his home in Stamford, Connecticut," he said.

"It is almost unbearable for us to contemplate our life without him." Wilder, whose third wife Gilda Radner died of ovarian cancer, was treated for lymphoma in 2000 and had worked only sporadically since.

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.

Brooks and Wilder joined forces on the script for the director´s next film, "Young Frankenstein," which poked fun at the Universal horror pictures of the 1930s.

"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.