From a Washington Post obit by Adam Bernstein headlined “William Friedkin, director and pacesetter of 1970s American film, dies at 87”:

William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director who brought chilling intensity to two generational touchstones of the 1970s, the gritty police drama “The French Connection” and the demonic-possession freakout “The Exorcist,” died at his home in Los Angeles.

A talent agent at Creative Artists Agency, which represents Mr. Friedkin’s wife, former Paramount studios chief Sherry Lansing, confirmed the death.