Dr. David Tillman

After a year of conflict surrounding the shuttering of the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s long-term care facility and hospital, Dr. David Tillman, CEO of the fund, has resigned his post.

The closure of the long-term care facility and hospital in Woodland Hills, CA, which was announced early in 2009, sparked a heated debate among many in the Hollywood community. Although the facilities were scheduled to close by the end of last year, many have refused to leave the nursing home and and about 60 residents remain there, the LA Times reported. Tillman resigns amidst harsh criticism of his handling of the situation. Former Panavision CEO Bob Beitcher will temporarily replace Tillman until a permanent chief executive can be found, according to the fund.

Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and other luminaries of the day founded the MPTF in 1921 with the mission to “take care of our own.” The MPTF still plans to close the long-term care facility, but a spokesman declined to offer a timeframe, the LA Times reports. A retirement community, which offers residential living, assisted living and a memory care unit, is still open.