Obituaries : Raymond Stross, 72; Avant-Garde Motion Picture Producer

Raymond Stross, the British-born producer who made a series of avant-garde films, many with sexual overtones and some starring his wife, died Sunday of the complications of heart disease.

Anne Stross, known professionally as Anne Heywood, said her husband had recently been released from the hospital and died in her arms at their Beverly Hills home. He was 72.

Stross, born in Leeds, England, entered the motion picture industry as a director. He then ran a chain of theaters before turning to producing.

His more than 40 films over the years include “Man Who Watched the Trains Go By,” “Star of India,” “As Long as They’re Happy,” “The Flesh Is Weak,” “A Question of Adultery,” “The Mark,” “The Leather Boys,” “Ninety Degrees in the Shade,” “The Fox,” “The Woman Who Rode Away” and “Good Luck Miss Wyckoff.”

A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday at Westwood Memorial Park.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Mark, and a daughter, Larain.