Australian cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, who won an Oscar for his work on the first Lord of the Rings movie, has died suddenly at the age of 59.

Lesnie's death, from a suspected heart attack, was confirmed by the Australian Cinematographers Society on Tuesday.

"We have been advised of the sudden death of Andrew," the society told The Hollywood Reporter.

Lesnie worked with New Zealand director Peter Jackson on all six Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit films as well as the remake of King Kong (2005) and The Lovely Bones (2009).

One of his first jobs was working on Simon Townsend's Wonder World in 1979 as well as the acclaimed Bodyline TV series in 1984.

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Among his many other credits are The Delinquents, which starred Kylie Minogue, and family films Babe and Babe: Pig In The City.

Actor and director Russell Crowe has paid his respects to Lesnie, who recently worked on the World War I drama The Water Diviner.

"Devastating news from home. The master of the light, genius Andrew Lesnie has passed on," Crowe tweeted.

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts has described Lesnie's passing as a "great loss" for the local and international screen industry.

AAP