Dennis Hopper died Saturday morning in Southern California at the age of 74. According to the Times obituary written by Edward Wyatt, Mr. Hopper died from complications of prostate cancer. His death was first reported by Reuters. He was of course a screen legend who had roles in numerous films including "Rebel Without a Cause," "Apocalypse Now" and "Blue Velvet," and of course also directed, co-wrote and co-starred in the generation-defining "Easy Rider."
A frail-looking Hopper, whose battle with prostate cancer was revealed in October, was able to attend a ceremony for the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in late March.
Hopper's talent was prodigious but a period of drug and alcohol addiction during some of the years that should have been his most productive, squandered some of it.
Critics and fans often said no one did crazy roles better than Hopper. For a long time, those roles reflected how he was living.
Much of the work he did in the '60s was generally undistinguished — until he directed 1969's low-budget Easy Rider, in which he co-starred with Peter Fonda and a still upcoming Jack Nicholson. It was a huge success — both at the box office and as a talisman for the turbulent times, leading to other anti-war, anti-establishment films. The movie was nominated for the top honor at the Cannes Film Festival, (where it won "best first work") and Hopper received an Academy Award nomination for original screenplay.
