Los Angeles, July 7 (IANS): Legendary filmmaker James Cameron has paid tribute to his longtime producing partner Jon Landau, who passed away from cancer at the age of 63.

James expressed his deep sorrow, stating that he feels like “a part of myself has been torn away,” reports ‘Variety’.

James and Landau were close-knit producing partners for more than 30 years, working together on landmark films such as ‘Titanic’ and the ‘Avatar’ series.

The director told ‘Variety’, “The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau. His zany humour, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit, and fierce will have held the centre of our Avatar universe for almost two decades.”

James praised Landau’s skill and love for pushing the boundaries of moviemaking, as well as his admirable personal qualities.

“His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set -- indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful, and utterly unique. He produced great films, not by wielding power but by spreading warmth and the joy of making cinema. He inspired us all to be and to bring our best every day,” James said.

“I have lost a dear friend and my closest collaborator of 31 years. A part of myself has been torn away.”

James and Landau began their professional relationship 30 years ago when Landau, as a film executive at 20th Century Fox, oversaw Cameron’s 1994 action comedy ‘True Lies', starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

When Landau left Fox, Cameron asked him if he wanted to read the script for a secretive project with the code name ‘Planet Ice'. Landau joined the film, which was released in 1997 with the title ‘Titanic’ and became the first movie in history to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office.