Sad News: Searching For Sugar Man Director Malik Bendjelloul

Malik Bendjelloul, Oscar-winning director of the documentary Searching for Sugar Man, has passed away at the age of 36. Bendjelloul's brother told a Swedish newspaper that the filmmaker had taken his own life and that he had been struggling with depression. 

I'm a huge admirer of Bendjelloul's Searching for Sugar Man, easily the best music documentary I've seen. He struggled mightily to make this movie, about the rediscovery of legendary folk musician Sixto Rodriguez. He shot most of the picture on Super 8, then when he ran out of money, resorted to shooting the remainder on his iPhone with a $1.99 app. The results won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Bendjelloul was determined to complete the project, saying, "it is the best story I have ever heard in my life, and I think I will ever hear."

I'm lucky enough to have tickets to actually hear Sixto Rodriguez play in a couple of weeks.

It's going to be a little bittersweet...