Comic icon Gene Wilder, known for his roles in movies like "Young Frankenstein" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," died late Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut. He was 83. 

The "Young Frankenstein" and "Willy Wonka" actor succumbed from complications of Alzheimer's disease, according to his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman in a statement posted by The Guardian.

Pearlman was also quoted on the same article saying, "He (Wilder) couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world." 

Pearlman explained that Wilder was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease three years ago but decided to keep his condition away from the public eyes to prevent from disappointing his fans. 

The Wall Street Journal recalled that before Wilder became a comic icon, his real name is Jerome Silberman -- born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1933.

He changed his professional name to Gene Wilder at age of 26 out of his admiration for the playwright Thornton Wilder and for "Look Homeward, Angel" character Eugene Grant.

Wilder's acting career started at age 12 while attending Old Vic Theater School in Bristol, England and the University of Iowa. He moved to Hollywood in the late 1960s after pursuing a stage career in New York.

Wilder, known for his frizzy hair, was a master of playing the roles of panicked characters seen on some of his popular movie scenes like bilking Broadway in "The Producers" and reviving a monster in "Young Frankenstein."

Wilder also mastered the art of portraying the role of a cool character as a charming candyman in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and as a boozy gunfighter in the movie "Blazing Saddles."

His role in "Willy Wonka" earned hima Golden Globe Best Actor in a comedy award. He also earned Academy Award nominations for the 1968 classics "The Producers" and for working on the script of the 1974 hit "The Frankenstein."

Upon learning of Wilder's death, a lot of celebrities like Mel Brooks, Jim Carrey and Rob Lowe turned to Twitter to extend their condolences.