LOS ANGELES  - Gary Winick, an independent filmmaker who crossed over into the mainstream with romances such as "Letters to Juliet" and "13 Going on 30," died on Sunday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 49.

Winick had fought cancer for some time, and it metastasized throughout his body, his manager Rosalie Swedlin told the Hollywood Reporter. After his first surgery, he went on to direct Amanda Seyfried in "Letters to Juliet," which was released last May.

His other directing credits included "Charlotte's Web," starring Dakota Fanning; "Bride Wars," starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson; and "13 Going on 30," starring Jennifer Garner.

Winick started out as a director and producer on the indie side. In 1999, he founded InDigEnt, which went on to produce 19 independent films over the next 10 years, including Winick's "Tadpole," which he sold to Miramax for $6 million at the 2002 Sundance film Festival. His funeral will be private, but a memorial service is being planned.