/ Source: The Associated Press
Wayne Lewellen, the former longtime head of distribution for Paramount Pictures, has died at age 65.
Todd Vradenburg, Lewellen's friend and a member of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneer Foundation, says Lewellen died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles after a short battle with cancer.
A publicist says Lewellen began his career in his native Texas with Warner Bros. in 1965. He joined Paramount in 1973, becoming distribution president for Paramount's Motion Picture Group in the mid-1990s.
During his tenure, he was responsible for distribution of some of Hollywood's most successful franchises, including "Titanic," "Forrest Gump," "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Star Trek."
Lewellen left the studio in 2005.