Jeff Wexler, an Oscar-nominated sound mixer who worked on movies such as “Fight Club” and “Vanilla Sky,” has passed away at 78. His death was related to complications of chronic kidney disease, according to Deadline. The outlet says Wexler’s children, Vanessa and David Wexler, confirmed the news in a statement to the Motion Picture Sound Editors in which they said, “Losing him is overwhelming, even though we knew his body had been fighting for a long time.”
The report says Wexler is remembered for pioneering a technology called DAT, which stands for Digital Audio Tape, that made digital production recording possible.
Wexler previously shared insight into his mixing process in a fascinating interview with Matt Price of Soundrollling.
Jeff Wexler’s Awards & Oscar Nominations
In 2011, Wexler received the Cinema Audio Society’s Career Achievement Award. He won a BAFTA for his work on Cameron Crowe’s 2000 comedy-drama “Almost Famous” that starred Kate Hudson and Billy Crudup.
Wexler’s Oscar nominations for Best Sound Mixing came in 1997 and 2004.
Wexler’s official website says he is the son of Academy Ward-winning cinematographer and director Haskell Wexler, who died in 2015. His biography on the site credits the summer job his father got him in 1969 working on the film “Harold and Maude” as a production assistant with changing his life by making him realize he wanted to work on movies. The bio also reveals he has mixed in impressive total of over 70 feature films.
Family Statement on the Loss of Jeff Wexler
Wexler’s daughter wrote a beautiful statement that full of praise for her talented father. She said on the JW Sound Group forum, “Our dad was kind in a way that felt effortless, generous in a way that asked for nothing back, and endlessly curious about the world. What meant the most to him was his family. He was a source of unwavering support, encouragement, and love, always present for us regardless of his professional commitments. He also had a life in cinema that shaped who he was. He grew up around film sets as the son of Haskell Wexler, but he carved out his own path. He once thought he would become a sociology teacher, until a summer job on Harold and Maude showed him exactly where he belonged: right there on set, actively listening, creatively contributing, paying attention in the way only he could.”
Withers emphasized in her statement that the main thing Wexler’s children want people to know is that he was “a great dad.” She praised him for “always showing up for us” before calling Wexler “a man of quiet integrity, whose deep and comprehensive exploration of the human condition was evident in all he did.”
Wexler was preceded in death earlier this year by his wife, Carol.
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