August Coppola, a former literature professor and the father of actor Nicolas Cage and the brother of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, has died. He was 75. Coppola died Tuesday in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack, Cages publicist, Annett Wolf, said Thursday.

Often described as flamboyant and eccentric, Coppola taught comparative literature at California State University, Long Beach, in the 1960s and 70s and served as a trustee of the California State University system before moving to California State University, San Francisco, in 1984. He became dean of the School of Creative Arts there and professor in the department of design and industry until 1992.