BERLIN, April 13 — Oscar-nominated German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, who shot Martin Scorsese's best picture winner The Departed, has died in Berlin.

His publicist and the American Society of Cinematographers confirmed his death, which occured at his Berlin apartment following a short illness (via Variety). He was 81.

Ballhaus, whose credits included various Scorsese films, began his career in 1971 with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and lensed more than a dozen films for the iconic German director before launching his career in the US.

He had led a long and outstanding career, and had been nominated three times for the Academy Award in cinematography — in 1987 for Broadcast News, in 1989 for The Fabulous Baker Boys and in 2002 for Scorsese"s Gangs of New York. — AFP-Relaxnews