Television and documentary pioneer David L. Wolper passed away Tuesday evening at the age of 82, of congestive heart disease and complications from Parkinson's disease.

Wolper's work as producer or executive producer included the documentaries The Race for Space (1959), Visions of Eight (1973), Imagine (1988) and several National Geographic Specials (1965-1976) as well as highly successful fictional productions such as Roots (1977), The Thorn Birds (1983) and L.A. Confidential (1997). He received numerous awards, e.g. two Oscars (including Best Documentary for The Hellstrom Chronicle, 1972), seven Golden Globes and a lifetime achievement award from the International Documentary Association in 1989.

Realscreen.com published an elaborate obituary article that you can find by clicking on the link below.

http://www.realscreen.com/articles/news/20100812/wolper.html