Top Gun director in bridge suicide (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Top Gun director in bridge suicide

9:47am Monday 20th August 2012 in Entertainment News © Press Association 2013

Tony Scott, director of such Hollywood hits as Top Gun, Days Of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II, has died after jumping off a bridge in Los Angeles, US authorities said.

The 68-year-old's death is being investigated as a suicide, Los Angeles County Coroner's Lieutenant Joe Bale said.

"I can confirm that Tony Scott has passed away. The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time," Scott's spokesman, Simon Halls, said in a statement.

Several people called emergency services at around 12.35pm local time yesterday to report that someone had jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbour.

Investigators indicated multiple notes were found in Scott's car and at another location. Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said said initial investigative findings do not classify the writings as suicide notes, but the office is treating his death as a probable suicide.

British-born Scott, who lived in Beverly Hills, was the younger brother of producer and director Ridley Scott. Together they ran Scott Free Productions and were working on a film called Killing Lincoln, based on the best-seller by Bill O'Reilly.

Keira Knightley, who worked with Scott on his 2005 film Domino in which she starred as a bounty hunter, praised the director, calling him "one of the world's true originals". Duncan Jones, who directed Moon and Source Code, wrote on Twitter: "Just heard about Tony Scott news. Horrible... Tony was a truly lovely man who took me under his wing & ignited my passion to make films."

In another tweet director Ron Howard said: "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day."

Shaun Of The Dead director Edgar Wright tweeted: "As I hope was evident in my work, I was big fan of his. Rest In Peace, sir."

Tony Scott was married to actress Donna Scott and the pair have twin sons.