Searching for Sugar Man director Malik Bendjelloul killed himself, his brother confirmed.
Academy Award-winning director Malik Bendjelloul committed suicide, his brother confirmed to Swedish media.
The Searching for Sugar Man creator suffered from depression and chose to end his own life.
“I can confirm that it was suicide and that he had been depressed for a short period of time,” his brother Johar Bendjelloul told Aftonbladet. “Life is not always so easy… It’s the worst. I don’t know how to handle it.”
Bendjelloul was found dead in Stockholm last week. Police would not confirm where his body was located or a suspected cause of death, and his brother provided no further details.
The acclaimed director won multiple awards for his documentary detailing the quest to find out if American musician Sixto Rodriguez was alive or dead, including an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2013, a BAFTA, Director’s Guild of America Award, Producer’s Guild of America Award, Writer’s Guild of America Award and the Sundance Audience Award.
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Rodriguez, who experienced a career resurgence as result of the film, told Billboard the death was a “shock.
“He was a very talented man and hard-working artist — he proved it by hitting an Academy Award his first time out,” the singer and songwriter said. “My deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace.”
Sony Pictures Classics, who distributed Searching for Sugar Man, released a statement calling the director a “genuine” artist.
“Much like Rodriguez himself, Malik was a genuine person who chased the world for stories to tell,” it said in a statement.
“He didn’t chase fame, fortune or awards, although those accolades still found him as many others recognized his storytelling.”
Fellow documentary director Michael Moore tweeted his sorrow.
Malik Bendjelloul, 'Searching For Sugarman' Director, Dies At 36, Police Report http://t.co/jThUpLGjyV He made a great film & will be missed
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 14, 2014
Bendjelloul was just 36 years old.
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