As various news sites, including Reuters, are reporting, Robert Altman died last night in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 81.

There are many ways to eulogize this remarkable director, a true maverick who never relinquished his own very personal idea of independence over many decades of work. For now, I’m just going to point you to Matthew Ross’s cover story on Altman in our Spring, 2006 issue. At the time he had just finished A Prarie Home Companion which Ross called “a triumphant new chapter in Altman’s body of work.” In the article, Altman noted that since receiving the heart transplant he talked about on stage after winning an honorary Academy Award this Spring he completed five features. And while many younger directors complain about the inequities of Hollyood and their inability to get their movies movie, Altman remained both philosophical and wiley, committed to testing the boundaries of both the system and society with his sly, fast-footed dramas.

We’ll have more on Altman in the days ahead.