Andrew Lesnie, the cinematographer for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, died on Monday after suffering a fatal heart attack. He was 59.
The filmmaker from Sydney, Australia, won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Peter Jackson‘s “The Fellowship Of The Ring” in 2002.
A spokesman from the Australian Cinematographers Society said “we have been advised of the sudden death of Andrew” and that his family would make an official statement at a later time, according to News.Com.Au.
Lesnie most recently worked on “The Water Diviner” starring Russell Crowe, and the actor was one of the first to mourn the loss, calling him “the master of light, genius.”
Devastating news from home. The master of the light, genius Andrew Lesnie has passed on .
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) April 28, 2015
During his 40-year career, Lesnie became known for his innovative camera work on modern classics including “Babe,” “The Hobbit” trilogy, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “King Kong” and “The Last Airbender.”
Lesnie got his start in the industry in 1978 as an assistant camera operator on the film “Patrick” while studying at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, and later worked as a cameraman on the award-winning Australian magazine show “Simon Townsend’s Wonder World.”