Two Oscar nominations for his work on "Five Easy Pieces" made Bob Rafelson a major player in the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s. He was 89.

In Aspen, where he had lived for many years, Rafelson passed away. Gabrielle Taurek Rafelson, his wife, shared that he passed away peacefully on Saturday night surrounded by loved ones.

In 1967, Rafelson received an Emmy for creating the best comedy series for his work with the late Bert Schneider on fictional pop music.

Rafelson directed and co-wrote "The King of Marvin Gardens," about a melancholy late-night radio talk show host, and "Five Easy Pieces,"

Both featured Jack Nicholson and dealt with variations on the topic of the American dream gone awry. Rafelson was nominated for best picture and best screenplay .

Aside from directing, he produced such New Hollywood masterpieces as Peter Bogdanovich's "The Last Picture Show" and Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider." group and TV series The Monkees.

His most notable films were made during the New Hollywood period, which saw the traditional Hollywood studio system give way to a wave of innovative young directors like Martin Scorsese

Fans of his work include Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson, and Coppola has dubbed him "one of the most important cinematic artists of his era."