Bruce Sinofsky — Co-Director of ‘Paradise Lost: Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills,’ Dead At 58

Bruce Sinofsky, co-director of such award winning documentaries as Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster and the “West Memphis Three” Paradise Lost trilogy, passed away in his sleep early Saturday morning from complications of diabetes. He was 58.

Joe Berlinger, Sinofsky’s friend and filmmaking other half, told Variety about his adventures in filmmaking with Sinofsky.

“His unique combination of courage and empathy made that possible, as well as everything that came after for us,” Berlinger said. “The extraordinary adventures we had on the road and the deeply stimulating experiences we had in the editing room were life-changing for all of us who knew him thanks to his wisdom and fervor to change the world.”

The talented duo began their filmmaking career in 1992 with the release of Brother’s Keeper, a film that revolved around the account of an elderly man who was accused of killing his brother. The film went on to win Sinofsky the Director’s Guild Award.

From there Sinofsky and Berlinger began working on a documentary for HBO called Paradise Lost. The film centered on three Arkansas teens who were convicted of murdering three eight-year-old Boy Scouts. Known as the “West Memphis Three,” Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin were all sentenced to life in prison, even though the evidence brought against them was thin and circumstantial at best.

Sinofsky went on to co-direct two additional Paradise Lost films. The sequel, Paradise Lost: Revelations, shed even more doubt on the trio’s guilt while the third, Paradise Lost: Purgatory, chronicled the teens, now adults, eventual release from prison.

Once the films caught national attention, several actors and musicians, including Metallica, Henry Rollins, and Johnny Depp, voiced their support for the West Memphis Three. Metallica even contributed music the the film score after hearing the imprisoned youth were fans, reports Rolling Stone magazine.

Sinofsky won several awards for his film work, including a Peabody, an Independent Spirit Award, and acclamation from the Sundance Film Festival. Bruce also contributed episodes to the Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts, an installment of History’s “10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America,” and Where It’s At: The Rolling Stone State of the Union, a 1998 television special featuring such guests as Bruce Springsteen, Beck, and Fiona Apple that aired on ABC.

A memorial in honor of Bruce’s life and career will be held in March.

Just one week ago the entertainment industry lost another beloved member. The voice of Laugh-In, Gary Owens, also died from complications of diabetes, reports theInquisitr.

[Image courtesy of Variety]