Bruce Sinofsky dead: Metallica and Paradise Lost documentary director dies aged 58

He was best known for Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and his trilogy of Paradise Lost documentaries

Metallica and Paradise Lost documentary director Bruce Sinofsky (Getty Images)

Oscar-nominated director and documentary maker Bruce Sinofsky has died at the age of 58.

He died in his sleep on Saturday after suffering complications from diabetes, according to his long-time friend and collaborator Joe Berlinger.

Berlinger posted on Twitter yesterday, “Devastated to report death of my best friend and #documentary partner Bruce Sinofsky this morning.Details to follow. Great man, sad day #RIP”.

The filmmaker was known for his trilogy Paradise Lost, which he worked on with Berlinger. The documentary focused on the 1994 West Memphis Three case and followed three teenagers who were on trial for the murder of three Cub Scouts. The films cast doubt over the murder convictions and helped to secure the eventual release of the teens.

The three parts were released over a period of 15 years in 1996, 2004 and 2011 respectively. The final instalment of the trilogy Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory was nominated for both an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and an Emmy Award in 2012.

Sinofsky was also known for the 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which took a behind-the-scenes look at the metal band. The documentary happened after music from the band was featured in the first two Paradise Lost films. Again, Sinofsky worked with Berlinger on the project while the pair waited for the West Memphis Three case to go through the courts.

Metallica took to Twitter to pay tribute to the director, posting, “RIP Bruce Sinofsky. A courageous man with deep empathy and wisdom who wasn't afraid to dig deep to tell the story.”

"Bruce's humanity is on every frame of the films that he leaves behind, and words can't express how graced I feel my life has been by having the extraordinary opportunity of being able to say we were partners and, more importantly, best friends," Berlinger told CNN.