Director Jonathan Demme passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 73. The “Silence of the Lambs” filmmaker suffered from esophageal cancer and heart disease.

Demme, a native of Baldwin, New York, redefined the idea of a blue-collar director. He was arguably one of the hardest-working men in the business, even after his 2010 cancer diagnosis. Demme directed an episode of the television series “Shots Fired” this year and released the acclaimed concert movie “Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids” last year.

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The eclectic artist directed everything from horror to documentary to low-budget genre flicks to high drama. After making his name in the ’70s by writing films such as the Roger Corman-produced “Angels Hard as They Come,” Demme moved into directing — and handled such acclaimed works as “Something Wild” and “Swing Shift” in the 1980s.

The ’90s were perhaps the kindest to Demme, as he directed two awards favorites: “Philadelphia” and “Silence of the Lambs.” The latter film landed him an Oscar for Best Director.

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The 1992 film “Silence of the Lambs” was, by far, Demme’s greatest and most celebrated professional creation. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, the story was considered unadaptable, as it introduced such dark story elements as incarcerated cannibal Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) and wanted serial killer Buffalo Bill. In the middle of it all was a mostly untested female FBI agent named Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster). A strong female lead in a horror thriller was still a new idea at the time.

“Silence of the Lambs” quickly secured its place in American pop culture. People still quote the movie to this day, repeating such lines as: “It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again,” and, “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

“Silence of the Lambs” quickly took its place in American pop culture.

While dark and horrific, “Silence of the Lambs” is still celebrated by film enthusiasts today because of its strong heart, as well as the horror. It’s ultimately a story of good conquering evil: The viewer enters the world of maniacs through the eyes of a young agent just trying to prove herself.

All of Demme’s work had heart and meaning, even when the story gave a license to cruelty.

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Beyond the narrative features for which he’s mostly known, Demme also mastered music videos, creating some of the most influential ones of their time, including “Streets of Philadelphia” for Bruce Springsteen.

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Demme was well-known for his concert films, too, piecing together the definitive Talking Heads feature, “Stop Making Sense,” and three acclaimed movies centered on Neil Young. Late New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael said that “Stop Making Sense” was “close to perfection.”

More recently, Demme was finding new ways to share his passion for film. He was the curator of the film retrospective “Saddle Up Saturdays” for the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, New York, this year.

Demme leaves behind a wide array of professional contributions to the world of film. Most importantly, he was a persistent and passionate artist until the very end. He is survived by his wife and three children.