Aussie Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie Has Died, Aged 59

Famed Australian cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, known for his work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, has died aged 59, after reportedly suffering a heart attack.

“We have been advised of the sudden death of Andrew,” a spokesman from the Australian Cinematographers Society told News Corp. His family is expected to make a statement at a later time.

Russell Crowe shared his sadness at the news, having worked with Lesnie on his directorial debut The Water Diviner. “Devastating news from home,” Crowe tweeted. “The master of the light, genius Andrew Lesnie has passed on.”

Lesnie won an Oscar For Best Cinematography in 2002 for his work on Peter Jackson’s first Lord of the Rings film, The Fellowship Of The Ring. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jackson recruited Lesnie for the film after seeing his work on the beloved 1195 film Babe in 1995 and its 1998 sequel.

“I’d never worked with him or even met him before, but he’d shot the Babe films and I thought they looked amazing, the way he’d used backlight and the sun and natural light to create a very magical effect,” Jackson said in a 2004 interview. “And Babe had that larger-than-life feel about it that I wanted.”

He went on to work on all the Lord of The Rings and Hobbit features, as well as the 2005 remake of King Kong and 2009’s The Lovely Bones. Other notable films with Lesnie’s stamp on them include I Am Legend (2007), The Last Airbender (2010) and the 1997 Australian film Doing Time for Patsy Cline.