Spain Thursday mourned the sudden death of veteran scriptwriter and producer Jose Luis Dibildos, a key figure in Spanish cinema of the last half century.

Last year Dibildos (pictured) was the recipient of an Honorary Goya Award from the Spanish Cinema Academy for his illustrious career, which spanned more than 40 films between the 1950's and the 1980's, including 1982 international hit The Beehive (La Colmena).

Dibildos died unexpectedly of a heart attack Wednesday afternoon at the age of 73.