Sad news today, as we learned that the incredible cinematographer for The Lord of the Rings saga, Andrew Lesnie, has passed away.
Update: We now know that Andrew Lesnie passed away following a fatal heart attack. He had been suffering from a serious heart condition for the last six months.
His frequent collaborator Peter Jackson took to Facebook to share a touching tribute to his friend:
Being an only child, I grew up wondering what it would be like to have a brother. It wasn’t until today, in trying to deal with the terrible news of Andrew’s passing, that I came to realise how much he had become that person for me – someone I could intrinsically love and trust – which I know now means someone who is up for all the good and the bad. Andrew was an irreplaceable part of my family and I am in total disbelief that I’ll never again hear his infectious laugh, nor benefit from his quiet wisdom, or enjoy his generous praise. Andrew created unforgettable, beautiful images on screen, and he did this time and again, because he only ever served what he believed in – he was his own artist, separate from me, but always working generously to make what we were trying to create together better. On set we developed an ability to work together using a minimum of words – a rare meeting of minds. I will always remember turning up, countless times, at five in the morning – all those quiet moments I had with him when I could step on to set and know he was there – unfazed, ready, listening, interested, more importantly – ready to catch me if I faltered. He always had my back. The more anxious I became, the more calm he would be. A solid rock in the unpredictable world we both chose to work in. After 17 years and 8 movies together, the loss of Andrew is very hard to bear.
My heart goes out to Jack and Sam, of whom he was enormously proud and to Marce, who gave him so much happiness.
Dearest Andrew, you never sought nor wanted praise – you never needed to hear how good you were, you only ever cared about doing great work and respecting the work of others. But on behalf of all those who were lucky enough to collaborate with you, love you and in turn, respect your mastery of story, of light and of cinema magic – you are one of the great cinematographers of our time.
Rest in Peace, my friend.
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Original story:
Australian cinematographer Andrew Lesnie was only 59 years old when he died suddenly on Monday.
A frequent collaborator of Peter Jackson, Lesnie’s amazing career included both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, as well as King Kong and The Lovely Bones.
In 2002, Lesnie won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for The Fellowship of the Ring. He was inducted into the Australian Cinematographers Society Hall of Fame in the same year.
Lesnie was celebrated for his spectacular work combining special effects with real life elements, weaving together technology and naturalism to make his universes seem real.
Other highlights of his almost 40-year long career included Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Last Airbender, Babe and I Am Legend. His final movie was to be the 2014 war drama The Water Diviner, directed by and starring Russell Crowe.
Crowe took to Twitter to express his shock and sadness at Lesnie’s untimely passing:
Devastating news from home. The master of the light, genius Andrew Lesnie has passed on .
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) April 28, 2015
Variety reports that the staff at Peter Jackson’s New Zealand production house WETA Digital are said to be “shocked and in mourning.”
We’re all very saddened by this tragic and untimely passing; Andrew Lesnie was truly a legend, bringing the world of Middle-Earth to life in a way we couldn’t have imagined.
An official statement from Lesnie’s family is expected later today.
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