Celebrated American director Robert Wilson, who transformed the worlds of stage and opera with his radical and poetic vision, died on Thursday at the age of 83. His management announced that Wilson passed away peacefully in Water Mill, New York, after a brief but acute illness. Known for his groundbreaking original productions and reinventions of traditional repertoire, Wilson continued working until the very end of his life.

Wilson rose to international prominence in 1976 with Einstein on the Beach, his legendary five-hour collaboration with composer Philip Glass. The avant-garde opera broke with all conventions of classical performance, replacing linear storytelling with dreamlike tableaux, dance, and meditations on Einstein’s life and the concept of space-time. Minimalist design, Asian-influenced movement, and masterful lighting effects became his signature. His earlier breakthrough came in France with Deafman Glance in 1971, a silent, seven-hour epic inspired by a real-life incident in which he rescued and later adopted a deaf and mute teenager.

Over his prolific career, Wilson collaborated with some of the most iconic artists of his time, from Tom Waits and Isabelle Huppert to Lady Gaga and Mikhail Baryshnikov. In 1992, he founded the Watermill Center, an interdisciplinary laboratory for the arts that nurtured emerging talent. His influence was especially profound in France, a country he credited with giving him a creative home. Tributes from across the art world are expected, with memorials to be announced. Wilson leaves behind a vast and enduring body of work that redefined the possibilities of theatre and opera for generations to come.