Shell-shocked Hollywood mourned Tuesday James Horner, the Oscar-winning composer of musical scores for a string of smash-hit movies including “Titanic” and “Avatar,” who died in a plane crash aged 61.
Trade magazine Variety reported the highly talented composer died Monday when his private aircraft went down in Santa Barbara, California.
“We have lost an amazing person with a huge heart and unbelievable talent. He died doing what he loved,” Horner’s personal assistant, Sylvia Wells, said on her Facebook page.
The agency that represented him, The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, said it had not yet received official confirmation of his death, but said it was “shocked and deeply saddened.”
“Brilliant composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on 7 movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones,” wrote director and colleague Ron Howard on Twitter.
Horner won two Oscars for “Titanic” — one for its theme song “My Heart Will Go On,” performed by Celine Dion, and another for the film’s score.
Dion said she “will always remember his kindness and great talent that changed my career.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said a single engine Tucano MK1 crashed Monday morning near Cuyama, killing the pilot, the only person on board.
