The Toronto film industry lost one of its veteran contributors with the unexpected passing of Michael Kavanagh on April 15. Kavanagh, who ran Kavanagh Special Effects, worked in the film business for two decades, specializing in mechanical effects in an era when some filmmakers relied heavily on the expedience of digital creations.

Kavanagh’s extensive list of credits includes the tv series Falcone, and features such as American Psycho, Pushing Tin, Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter and Exotica, and David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ, Crash and The Dead Zone.

‘His passing has saddened many,’ says Dawn Rivard, who worked for many years as Kavanagh’s effects department coordinator. ‘This town has lost a truly seasoned professional, and an entity that brought the excitement to the job.’

Kavanagh is survived by son Dakota (Cody), his mother, two sisters, and his crew.