Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his wife were found lifeless inside a burned vehicle in Dominica, in the Caribbean, where they owned a luxurious hotel complex.
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The macabre discovery was made on Friday, according to local media Dominica News Online who specified that the victims would be Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand, owners of the Coulibri Ridge Eco Resort – a self-sufficient Dominican hotel complex.
According to local media, the couple was missing and the charred vehicle matched the one they were driving. The bodies were found after authorities were alerted that a vehicle was engulfed in flames.
- Listen to Benoit Dutrizac talk about the death of Daniel Langlois in the Dutrizac – Dumont meeting via QUB radio :
Unfortunately, the size of the fire made the bodies unidentifiable, reported the Dominica News Online which specifies that the authorities were able to link the Quebecers because of circumstantial evidence.
However, the investigation progressed quickly, with police arresting three suspects in the case, according to another local media outlet, Dom767.
In an email sent to the QMI Agency, Global Affairs Canada explained that it was aware of “the presumed death of two Canadian citizens in Dominica.”
“Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the Canadian citizens concerned. Canadian authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, collaborate with local authorities and provide consular assistance. For confidentiality reasons, no other information can be disclosed,” said spokesperson Marilyne Guèvremont.
Early Sunday evening, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, declared that “Daniel Langlois, visionary of digital technologies and cinema, has left us.” The minister also recalled that her company Softimage notably created 3D images for films like Star Wars. “The legacy he leaves us reflects his innovative spirit. My thoughts are with his loved ones,” she wrote on X.
A notable figure in cinema
Daniel Langlois founded the animated film software company Softimage in 1986. His goal? Make technological tools accessible both to Hollywood and to small cinema artisans.
The company became known thanks to the film The Jurassic Park in 1993, where, for the first time, it was impossible to distinguish reality from animation.
The dinosaurs in the film, which were created using Softimage software, were 3D computer-designed animations and not models as in the past.
The creator and computer scientist then sold the company to Microsoft in 1994 for $200 million. But the company’s head office remained in Montreal.
“We have to take the money from Hollywood and bring it here,” he explained in an interview with Duty.
Softimage software has been used in numerous blockbusters such as Titanic, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter And Pirates of the Caribbean.
“I had more influence in the film industry by creating software than if I had made three films,” he said in 1997, a year before giving up his position as president of Softimage.
Mr. Langlois was honored in November 2023 by the Government of Dominica. Photo published on the Facebook page of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
Patron
Daniel Langlois then set up a foundation in his name to support artistic and scientific projects linked to technology.
He also designed and financed the Ex-Centris cinema distribution and production complex in 1999, and co-founded the Festival du nouveau cinéma.
Mr. Langlois was the owner from 2003 to 2019 of the private club 357c, made infamous during the Charbonneau Commission, where meetings linked to corruption allegedly took place.
“I could have built a tower, but I wanted to give a unique place to Montreal, to create a modern, luxurious and friendly private club. And there, our reputation is unfairly attacked,” he then defended himself to The Press.
Daniel Langlois has been involved for several years in Dominica, a small Caribbean island located between Guadeloupe and Martinique.
In addition to owning a sustainable hotel complex that won a Design Grand Prix last year, he founded a non-governmental organization to rebuild several communities on the island after the hurricane. Maria in 2017.
He also purchased the summit of Mont Pinacle, in Estrie, in order to protect its fauna and flora.
Daniel Langlois was named a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1999 and an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000. He also holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Sherbrooke, McGill, Concordia, Quebec in Montreal and Ottawa.
– With the QMI Agency
WHO WAS DANIEL LANGLOIS?
- Born April 6, 1957 in Jonquière
- Founder of Softimage, of which he was president and technological director from 1986 to 1998
- Softimage has been recognized throughout the world in the field of cinema, particularly for the use of 3D animation techniques.
- In 1997, Daniel Langlois won a scientific and technical Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- He was named Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1999 and of the Order of Canada in 2000
- After Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated Dominica, Daniel Langlois launched a program, through a foundation that bears his name, to support the local community in the face of natural disasters