The ace filmmaker, author and essayist Nora Ephron, who flourish in the male-dominated world of movies and journalism died at the age of 71. She was suffering from Leukemia and died Tuesday night at New York Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Ephron started as a journalist in her 20s, topping her field, then a best-selling author in her 30s and a successful director. She directed and wrote favorites such as "Julie & Julia" and "Sleepless in Seattle". Her literary novels included "Heartburn" and popular collection of essays, "I Remember Nothing", "I Feel Bad About My Neck". As a screenwriter for movies like, "Silkwood", "Sleepless in Seattle", "when Harry Met Sally.', Ephron was nominated three times for Academy Awards.

Her family devastated with the news of her demise said, "She was so, so alive. It makes no sense to me that she isn't alive anymore." said her friend Carrie Fisher.

Tom Hanks, who starred in "Sleepless in Seattle" said, "Ephron knew what was important to know; how things really worked, what was worthwhile, who was fascinating and why."

Eldest of four kids, Ephron was born into a family of screenwriters Harry and Phoebe Ephron, who moved to Beverly Hills, California from New York. Ephron was four then. Moving back to New York after college, she started her career as a journalist, working for Esquire and The New York Times developing a national following for her astound work.