# Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio dies at 52

> Oscar-winning Chilean director Sebastián Lelio found dead at 52 by girlfriend who shared heartbreaking tribute: 'A time of profound grief'.
- Title: Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio dies at 52 · Dailymail
- Summary: Oscar-winning Chilean director Sebastián Lelio found dead at 52 by girlfriend who shared heartbreaking tribute: 'A time of profound grief'.
- Keywords: sebastián lelio, oscar-winning director, chilean filmmaker, actress girlfriend, death, health complications, a fantastic woman, the wave, cannes film festival, 2025 cannes film festival, Dailymail
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-16274171/director-Sebastian-Lelio-dead-Amalia-Kassai.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-11-07T17:15:54+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: sebastián lelio, oscar-winning director, chilean filmmaker, actress girlfriend, death, health complications, a fantastic woman, the wave, cannes film festival, 2025 cannes film festival, news, entertainment
## Sebastián Lelio found dead
Oscar-winning Chilean director Sebastián Lelio died at age 52 after being found dead by his actress girlfriend.
## Girlfriend issues statement
Actress girlfriend Amalia Kassai shared a heartbreaking statement expressing profound grief over his death.
## Health complications cause
His family and Kassai announced he died due to health complications with no exact medical cause disclosed.
## Oscar-winning film
Lelio won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for his film A Fantastic Woman in 2017.
## Recent projects
Lelio was in production on an adaptation of Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra and developing Voyagers with Andrew Garfield.
## The Wave film
His most recent completed film The Wave premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and featured Kassai in a role.
## A Fantastic Woman
A Fantastic Woman, which Lelio directed, was inspired by 2018 Chilean feminist protests and starred Daniela Vega.
## Other notable films
Lelio's other notable films include The Year of the Tiger (2011), Disobedience (2017), Gloria (2018), and The Wonder (2022).
## Sony Pictures statement
Sony Pictures Classics described Lelio as a one-of-a-kind filmmaker whose work continued to evolve and surprise audiences globally.
## Lelio's background
Lelio was born in Mendoza, Argentina, moved to Chile at age two, and lived nomadically across cities until age 21.
## Lelio's education
Lelio studied journalism for one year before graduating from the Chilean Film School.
## Kassai's tribute
Kassai shared romantic photos of the couple and wrote: 'I love you in this life and in all the lives to come. He illuminated everything and everything around him … Only love remains.'

> I love you in this life and in all the lives to come. He illuminated everything and everything around him … Only love remains.
## Family statement
His family and Kassai stated: 'We are going through a time of profound grief, and his memory will remain with us forever.'

> We are going through a time of profound grief, and his memory will remain with us forever.
## Lelio's death location
Lelio was found dead at his home in Las Condes, Santiago, Chile around midday on Friday.
## Time of death
Lelio was found dead by his partner, actress Amalia Kassai, who then called the authorities.
## Lelio's age
Lelio was 52 years old at the time of his death.
## Key takeaway

Oscar-winning Chilean director Sebastián Lelio died at 52 after being found dead by his actress girlfriend, who issued a statement expressing profound grief.