A prominent San Francisco arts patron and her husband were found mysteriously dead in a running car on Monday evening, the California Highway Patrol said.
Judith Sheldon, 84, daughter of filmmaker William Wyler, and her husband Wylie Sheldon, 86, were found inside of a red Jeep Compass stopped at the shoulder of Interstate 5 near Redding.
Both of them were unresponsive and declared dead at scene despite emergency care from medical personnel, said the highway patrol. Judith was in the driver’s seat while Wylie was in the passenger seat.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of death, though the San Francisco Chronicle reported it was medically related.
Some have speculated the death could have resulted from an extreme heat warning on that day, when temperatures reached above 100 degrees. The highway patrol has not stated whether that played a role.
The couple had attended San Francisco arts events in recent years, including San Francisco Performances events in 2016 and 2022. Judith was a co-chair of its 43rd season gala.
She was also board chair of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, which aims to preserve silent cinema, and members in that community said she was tightly woven with the space. She would host welcome parties at her home in the city.
“We are reeling from this news,” Anita Monga, artistic director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, told the Chronicle. “Judy and Wylie were very dear to us, supportive and a positive presence at all our events.”
Sheldon had some screen credits in the 1950s, appearing in several television productions during that time.
Her father William Wyler won awards for his work on films like “The Best Years Of Our Lives” and “Wuthering Heights” and had the most nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director.
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