The native New Yorker who directed "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" has died.

Mel Stuart passed away Thursday night of cancer at his Los Angeles home.

The 83-year-old was an NYU graduate who originally wanted to be a composer.

Instead, he chose a career in filmmaking, directing Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".

He is also known for helping to establish a base of West Coast documentary production.

Stuart's 1964 documentary "Four Days in November" about the assassination of president John F. Kennedy was nominated for an Oscar.

He also won an Emmy for the documentary "The Making of the President 1960".