Comedy director John Hughes dies

The US film director and writer John Hughes, who created some of the most famous comedies of the 1980s and 1990s, has died at the age of 59.

The director died after a heart attack in New York, his spokeswoman said.

Mr Hughes was the director of such successful films as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

He was also a leading script writer, penning films such as Pretty in Pink and Home Alone.

Prolific

The spokeswoman, Michelle Bega, told Associated Press news agency Mr Hughes had been in Manhattan on a family visit and died after suffering the heart attack during a morning walk.

Mr Hughes lived in Illinois, with many of his films set in and around Chicago.

Among the other films he directed were Weird Science, Uncle Buck and Curly Sue.

His writing and producing credits were prolific and included Flubber, National Lampoon's Vacation and Some Kind of Wonderful.

In his later years he continued to write under the pseudonym of Edmond Dantes, a character in the Alexandre Dumas novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

His credits under the name include the Beethoven series and Maid in Manhattan.