“Last night, dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson’s,” wrote Robert Downey Jr. on his Instagram page. “He was a true maverick filmmaker, and remained remarkably optimistic throughout.” A groundbreaking and risk-taking filmmaker Downey Sr. was known for the 1969 satirical comedy Putney Swope about the advertising world and the absurdist Western Greaser’s Palace. His satirical films that celebrated the counterculture were made on small budgets and big ideas. He also acted in the films Boogie Nights, Magnolia and To Live and Die in LA. A man of many talents, Downey Sr. was a Korean War veteran, played minor league baseball and was a boxer. Robert Downey Jr. and his sister actress-writer Allyson Downey, were the children of Downey Sr. and his first wife Elsie Ann Downey. His second wife, Laura Ernst, died in 1994 from ALS. Downey Sr. married his third wife, author Rosemary Rogers-Downey in 1998. “According to my stepmom’s calculations, they were happily married for just over 2000 years,” added Downey Jr. on Instagram. “Rosemary Rogers-Downey, you are a saint, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.” Next, Sad Movies to Watch on Netflix Right Now
