Oscar-nominated director, screenwriter and producer behind films including When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle

Nora Ephron, the Oscar-nominated film-maker behind romantic comedies When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle has died, aged 71.

Ephron's death was confirmed by her friend Richard Cohen, the Washington Post columnist. She died of complications from the blood disorder myelodysplasia, with which she was diagnosed six years ago.

The New York Times reported her son Jacob Bernstein said she died from pneumonia brought on by acute myeloid leukaemia.

Considered one of most influential women in Hollywood, Ephron was a director, screenwriter and producer who also wrote books including Heartburn and Crazy Salad. Her most recent film credits included the film Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep.

Heartburn, which also starred Streep in the film version, chronicled Ephron's own dissolving marriage with journalist Carl Bernstein and was based on the novel of the same name.