Oscar-winning sound editor Hopkins drowns in NZ

The Associated Press, Monday, December 31, 2012, 6:35pm (PST)

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Oscar-winning sound editor Mike Hopkins, who worked on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and other blockbusters, has died in a rafting accident in New Zealand.

Police Senior Sergeant Carolyn Watson said the 53-year-old Hopkins drowned on Sunday after his raft capsized in a river on New Zealand's North Island.

The New Zealand Herald newspaper quoted "Rings" director Peter Jackson as saying many actors, directors and film crew members who were lucky enough to work with Hopkins would miss him deeply.

A New Zealander, Hopkins shared Oscars with Ethan Van der Ryn in 2003 and 2006 for "King Kong" and "Fellowship of the Ring."

The sound editing partners also were nominated for "Transformers."