Oscar-winning filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul was found dead on Tuesday, May 13, in Stockholm, Sweden, the Associated Press reported. He was 36 years old.
A police spokeswoman confirmed his death to the AP. She did not specify a cause of death, but she did say it was not being treated as suspicious.
Born and raised in Sweden, Bendjelloul won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2013, for his acclaimed film Searching for Sugar Man. The movie chronicled the life and career of singer Sixto Rodriguez, and the efforts of two fans who set out to discover what had become of him.
According to the AP, Bendjelloul was a child actor in the 1990s. He later studied journalism and media-production at the Linnaeus University of Kalmar, and worked for a time as a reporter, as well.
Searching for Sugar Man was his first feature film documentary. In addition to the Oscar, it won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary, and accolades from the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America, among others.
