Jack Valenti has passed away at the age of 85, after suffering a stroke in March that hospitalized him for several weeks. A special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson when he
was lured to Hollywood in 1966 by movie moguls Lew Wasserman and Arthur
Krim, Valenti instituted
the modern movie ratings system and guided Hollywood from the
censorship era to the digital age. As the president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Valenti raised the ire of documentarian Kirby Dick and others, who took exception with what they saw as the MPAA’s Neapolitan swirl of secrecy and hypocrisy with regards to classification issues.

Still, throughout it all, Valenti remained enormously popular with industry colleagues, and respected for his measured advice. “I’ve known Jack for more than 25 years as a colleague,
friend and mentor,” said Jean Prewitt, President and CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance. “He was the absolute consummate gentleman who loved
every facet of our industry and its people — no matter what their role in the
business. We’ll never forget Jack and his legacy. There will never
be anyone like him.”