Writer, director and screenwriter Nora Ephron has died after a battle with leukemia, her publisher said on Tuesday. She was 71.

"She brought a lot of people, a lot of joy. She will be sorely missed," said a statement from the Alfred A. Knopf.

Efron romantic comedies box office hits included "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle", both of which earned her a screenwriting Oscar.

She was also nominated for an Oscar for writing "Silkwood" History of anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood.

She was one of the first women to write and direct their films, including "Sleepless in Seattle".

From the archives: the best advice Nora Ephron.

Efron, known for creating strong female characters in her stories, wrote and directed "Julie & Julia," which won best actress Meryl Streep nominated for an Oscar in 2010.

Efron's parents, Henry and Phoebe Ephron, and writers, from "Carousel", "Desk Set" and "There's no business like show business" on their resume.

"They were funny, and they believed that all the copies," Efron said in an interview with CNN in 2009. "They believed that everything in life can be turned into a story that is actually the first rule of humor."

Life Ephron was particularly important memoir of his father: "We thought we could do anything."

Humor is essential to the survival of her childhood, she said.

"I do not think you can get through almost without humor," she said.

She was married to screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi in 1987, eight years after she divorced investigate Carl Bernstein.

The destruction of her marriage to Bernstein, was the basis of her book and the movie "Heartburn."

From the archives: a story told through clothes and Ephrons

"And I feel bad for people who do not, at some point realize that there is something funny, even in the worst things that can happen to you," said Efron.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the history of Ephron set in the city have become classics.

"The loss of Nora Ephron is a devastating one for the arts in New York and the cultural community," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. "From the first days of her in the newspapers of New York, to her biggest success in Hollywood, Nora has always loved a good story of New York, and she could tell them more than anyone else."