NEW YORK (AP) Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenplay writer of Shampoo, The Last Detail and other acclaimed films whose work on Chinatown became a model of the art form and helped define the jaded allure of his native Los Angeles,

Towne died Monday surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said publicist Carri McClure. She declined to comment on any cause of death.

In an industry which gave birth to rueful jokes about the writers status, Towne for a time held prestige comparable to the actors and directors he worked with. Through his friendships with two of the biggest stars of the 1960s and 70s, Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson, he wrote or co-wrote some of the signature films of an era when artists held an unusual level of creative control. The rare auteur among screen writers, Towne managed to bring a highly personal and influential vision of Los Angeles onto the screen.

Its a city thats so illusory, Towne told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview. Its the westernmost west of America. Its a sort of place of last resort. Its a place where, in a word, people go to make their dreams come true. And theyre forever disappointed.