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Lata Ryan, who served as exec producer on "Rent," and worked on several Steven Spielberg films, died July 19 in Los Angeles of complications of pancreatic cancer. She was 59.

A native of Los Angeles and daughter of photographer Phil Stern, she began her career as an assistant producer in commercials.

She segued into films as a production coordinator, working on films including "The Star Wars" epics, "Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom," "Back To the Future 2" and "Back to the Future 3," "Rain Man" and "The Color Purple."

Sought after for special effects-intensive projects, she served as associate producer on "Jurassic Park."

As executive producer, she worked on films including "Grosse Point Blank," the "X Files" feature and "Cold Creek Manor."

One of her favorite projects was exec producing the film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Rent," which gave her the opportunity to blend her love of dance, musical theater, and movies.

She is survived by her husband, cinematographer Bob LaBonge; a son; her father; her mother; her stepfather and two brothers.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept.7 at the Wadsworth Theater, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.

Donations may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 700, El Segundo, CA 90240.