Fifty Shades director James Foley passed away at the age of 71 earlier this week, the US media reported on Friday.

Foley’s representative on Thursday said he died “peacefully in his sleep earlier this week” at his Los Angeles home following a “years-long struggle” with brain cancer, as per a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Born on December 28, 1953, the Brooklyn-born filmmaker navigated a career spanning more than three decades, collaborating with Hollywood stars including Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Madonna, and Mark Wahlberg.

Foley made his directorial debut with 1984’s Reckless, following which he began a long-running collaboration with Madonna, starting with the Dress You Up music video. He went on to direct several of her hits, including Live to Tell, Papa Don’t Preach, True Blue and The Look of Love. In 1987, he directed her in the feature film Who’s That Girl, but despite high expectations, the film underperformed, prompting him to reflect on his career.

Following a hiatus from filmmaking, Foley returned to the big screen with the Fifty Shades franchise created by Sam Taylor-Johnson. He directed the concluding chapters of the Fifty Shades franchise — Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed — bringing the story of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, played by Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, to its cinematic close.

Beyond films, he also made a significant impact on television, directing multiple episodes of hit shows, including 12 episodes of the political drama House of Cards.

Foley is survived by his brother Kevin, his sisters Eileen and Jo Ann, and his nephew Quinn, who is engaged to Antea Kalinic.