Malik Bendjelloul, director of the documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, died on Wednesday in Stockholm.
His brother, Johar Bendjelloul confirmed that the documentary filmmaker committed suicide. The brother said that explaining the suicide was the worst thing he had ever experienced. According to The Guardian, Swedish police say that no crime is suspected in the filmmaker’s death.
Friends remember Malik Bendjelloul as someone who was widely known for his enthusiasm, kindness and high spirits. Colleagues were quite surprised at the word of his death.
Bendjelloul was an innovative filmmaker known for his storytelling and his willingness to choose new formats. The documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, won an Oscar as well as a BAFTA. The documentary is about two South Africans who try to find out what happened to a musical performer named Rodriguez. British film producer Simon Chinn produced Searching for Sugar Man together with Bendjelloul.
"It seems so unbelievable," Chinn told the Associated Press, “I saw him two weeks ago in London. He was so full of life, hope and optimism and happiness, and looking forward to the future and future collaborations. We were talking about working together and talking about specific ideas, so the idea that he is no longer is just too hard to process."
Funeral arrangements aren’t currently known.