TORONTO — Toronto photographer Andrew MacNaughtan, well known for his work documenting rock band Rush and many other Canadian musicians, has died. He was 47.

Rush members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart confirmed the death in a statement on their website, which expressed shock and sadness at MacNaughtan's sudden passing.

The rockers called the photographer a "sweet person and a very talented artist" who will be deeply missed.

MacNaughtan was the principal photographer for Rush since 1989, photographing all their tours, promotional materials and album art.

He also photographed many other high-profile Canadian artists including Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Simple Plan and Michael Buble.

Friend and singer Jann Arden tweeted that MacNaughtan died in Los Angeles.

A number of other Canadian artists, including members of bands Great Big Sea, Barenaked Ladies and The Trews, took to Twitter Thursday night to mourn MacNaughtan's death.

In addition to photography, MacNaughtan also worked on TV productions including "So You Think You Can Dance Canada," and "Battle of the Blades."

One of his recent projects, however, was a departure from his usual work. "Grace: Africa in Photographs," was an 80-page hard-cover book filled which photographs from a trip to east-Africa. The project aimed to collect new child sponsors for World Vision.