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Notable Hollywood Producer Frank Yablans Dies At 79

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Frank Yablans, a former president of Paramount Pictures in the 1970s who oversaw the release of several groundbreaking pictures, has died.

Yablans died of natural causes Thursday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his son Eddy Yablans told The Associated Press on Thursday. He was 79.

Yablans was president at Paramount when the studio reeled out such well-known hits as "The Godfather," ''Chinatown," ''Paper Moon" and "Murder on the Orient Express."

He later went on to work as chief operating officer at MGM/United Artists and co-wrote the screenplay for "Mommie Dearest," a biopic about movie star Joan Crawford's deeply troubled relationship with her children. Yablans also produced the film.

Yablans, a native of New York, is survived by his three children, four grandchildren and his longtime companion, Nadia Pandolfo.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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