Peter Werner, Famed TV Director, Dead at 76

'Ghost Whisperer,' 'Medium,' 'Moonlighting,' and 'Law & Order: SVU' barely even brushes the surface.

Peter Werner , award-winning director of episodes of several popular television shows, passed away suddenly earlier today, March 21. He was 76.

According to Deadline , he died of cardiac complications after suffering a torn aorta. It's unclear if he died at home or in the hospital.

The late director is known for his credits on a variety of series, including Ghost Whisperer, Medium, The Wonder Years , Moonlighting , Blue Bloods , The Blacklist, Elementary, Law & Order: SVU , and plenty of others. Throughout his career, he was nominated for four Emmy awards and three Directors Guild of America Awards. He won the Oscar for Best Short Film in 1977 for In the Region of Ice , a student film from his time at the American Film Institute.

Screenwriter and director Emily Aleece Burton mourned her former mentor on Twitter, writing, "peter was the first person to ever believe in me as a filmmaker and pushed me to start directing. i would not be who i am today without his support. words cannot begin to describe the heartbreak this brings..."

Another user, identified only as Michael C. , who works on HBO Max's Clone High reboot, also shared, in part , "I wouldn’t have found my confidence to pursue a career in this industry if it wasn’t for his mentorship. One of the biggest hearts in Hollywood and he was determined to share every piece of it with emerging talent."

Werner is survived by his brother, Tom , whose company produced shows like The Cosby Show , Roseanne , and That '70s Show , as well as his wife, Kedren , and children: Lillie , Katharine and James .