Thursday, June 18, 2026 - A prominent San Francisco arts patron and her husband were found mysteriously de@d in a running car on Monday evening, June 15, the California Highway Patrol said.
Judith Sheldon, 84, daughter of filmmaker William Wyler, and her husband
Wylie Sheldon, 86, were found inside a red Jeep Compass stopped at the shoulder
of Interstate 5 near Redding.
Both of them were unresponsive and declared d£ad at scene despite
emergency care from medical personnel, the highway patrol said.
Judith was in the driver’s seat while Wylie was in the passenger
seat.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of d£ath, though the San
Francisco Chronicle reported it was medically related.
Some have speculated the d£ath could have resulted from an extreme heat
warning on that day, when temperatures reached above 100 degrees. The highway
patrol has not stated whether that played a role.
The couple had attended San Francisco arts events in recent years,
including San Francisco Performances events in 2016 and 2022. Judith was a
co-chair of its 43rd season gala.
She was also board chair of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival,
which aims to preserve silent cinema, and members in that community said she
was tightly woven with the space. She would host welcome parties at her home in
the city.
“We are reeling from this news,” Anita Monga, artistic director of the San
Francisco Silent Film Festival, told the Chronicle. “Judy and Wylie were
very dear to us, supportive and a positive presence at all our events.”
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