Wyler’s Daughter and Husband Found Dead in Parked Car Amid Heat Wave
Judith Sheldon, 84, daughter of Oscar-winning director William Wyler, and her husband Wylie Sheldon, 86, were found dead in their running Jeep along California’s Interstate 5 near Redding on June 15, as heat warnings were in effect (temperatures around 109°F). Autopsy results were pending to determine the cause. A close friend described the deaths as “bizarre,” saying the couple did not crash but stopped and died there while en route to Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival. Judith had minor film roles in Wyler-era classics and served on the San Francisco Silent Film Festival board, highlighting the family’s deep cinema legacy.
