Sir Peter Jackson, Russell Crowe, Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood are among those paying tribute to Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie following his death yesterday.
The Australian moviemaker, who collaborated on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, is believed to have suffered a heart attack.
Lesnie received the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the first The Lord of the Rings movie in 2002.
Writing in a Facebook post, Sir Peter says: "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.
"My heart goes out to Jack and Sam, of whom he was enormously proud and to Marce, who gave him so much happiness.
"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."
As well as his work on the J. R. R. Tolkien movie adaptations and 2005 blockbuster King Kong, Lesnie also worked on films including Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I Am Legend and The Lovely Bones.
Crowe's directorial debut The Water Diviner, which was released in the US on April 24, marked Lesnie's last film credit, and the actor took to Twitter to express his sadness at the loss (see below).
Other Twitter tributes have come from the likes of Colin Hanks, The Hobbit star Graham McTavish, King Kong star Jamie Bell, Fast & Furious 7 director James Wan, Braindead star Jed Brophy and The Dead Lands filmmaker Toa Fraser.
Devastating news from home. The master of the light, genius Andrew Lesnie has passed on .
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) April 28, 2015
ANDREW LESNIE (1956-2015) pic.twitter.com/IHh2XwNGyD
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) April 28, 2015
I am shocked, and deeply saddened. The man who gave light to Middle earth has gone. My heart goes out to Andrew Lesnie's family.
— Graham McTavish (@grahammctavish) April 28, 2015
Andrew Lesnie, you were taken too soon. My heart goes out to your family and our shared extended family. Thank you for your humor and love.
— Elijah Wood (@woodelijah) April 28, 2015
Such sad news to hear the passing of Andrew Lesnie. The world of cinematography just lost a brilliant craftsman and artist.
— James Wan (@creepypuppet) April 28, 2015
#RIP Andrew Lesnie. Massive contribution to the NZ film industry.
— Toa Fraser (@ToaFraser) April 28, 2015
So saddened to hear about the passing of Andrew Lesnie. He was as charming and kind as he was talented. He really was one of a kind.
— Colin Hanks (@ColinHanks) April 28, 2015
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source: newshub archive