News hit Ken Burns hard this week. The celebrated filmmaker was putting the finishing touches on his latest project about the American Revolution when he found out his longtime friend and collaborator, historian William E. Leuchtenburg, had passed away at the remarkable age of 102.

Burns, known for his gripping documentaries, described Leuchtenburg as “one of the great historians, if not the dean of American historians.” Over four decades, the two worked closely together, with Leuchtenburg advising on multiple films and even appearing in three of them: Prohibition (2011), The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014), and Benjamin Franklin (2022).

The filmmaker didn’t hold back his emotions, saying, “Everything just crashed to a halt,” when he learned of his friend’s passing. Burns highlighted Leuchtenburg’s expertise on the presidency, calling his work foundational to understanding American history.

Their partnership wasn’t just professional—it was deeply personal. Burns relied on Leuchtenburg’s insights to bring historical stories to life, and it’s clear the historian’s legacy will continue to shape the way we see America’s past. Though Leuchtenburg is gone, his influence lives on through the films and the friendship that defined their decades-long bond.