Three time Oscar-winning sound re-recording mixer Robert "Buzz" Knudson has died in Columbia, S.C., at age 80.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Academy Award-winner for "Cabaret,""The Exorcist" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" died in a nursing home Jan. 21 from complications of progressive supranuclear palsy, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Knudson was president and vice chairman of Todd-AO, an independent post-production sound company, where he worked for much of his 50-year career, the Times said.

He was responsible for the final soundtracks to nearly 90 films including the 1976 remake of "A Star is Born,""Shampoo,""Close Encounters of the Third Time,""Coming Home,""Ghost,""Scarface,""The Color Purple" and "An Officer and a Gentlemen," to name just a few.

John Landis said Knudson was "a great artist."

"He was so good at what he did; he was like a gunslinger," Landis said. "The thing about Buzz, he was one of those guys that directors really sought out because they knew he would elevate the film; he was a real collaborator."

Knudson is survived by his wife of 55 years, two daughters, six grandchildren and one great-grandson.